Julia Roberts and Steven Spielberg only worked together once — on the 1991 film "Hook" — and it was not a pleasant experience for either of them. "Hook," to remind the reader, is a sequel to J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" story, imagining what might happen if Pan left Neverland, grew up, and started a family. By Spielberg's vision, Pan would change his name to Peter Banning (Robin Williams), become a boring lawyer, and forget all about his eternal youth as a flying pixie kid.
Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) hasn't forgotten, however, and sends his pirates to Earth to kidnap Banning's children to lure him back to Neverland. The adult Peter is abducted by Tinkerbell (Roberts) and dragged back to his Edenic youth by force. Peter hates Neverland at first — the Lost Boys are too rowdy — but he slowly starts remembering his time as Peter Pan, and eventually begins to revert.
"Hook...
Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) hasn't forgotten, however, and sends his pirates to Earth to kidnap Banning's children to lure him back to Neverland. The adult Peter is abducted by Tinkerbell (Roberts) and dragged back to his Edenic youth by force. Peter hates Neverland at first — the Lost Boys are too rowdy — but he slowly starts remembering his time as Peter Pan, and eventually begins to revert.
"Hook...
- 9/5/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Steven Spielberg has proved that he is the Jack of all trades and master of everything when it comes to versatility in cinema. A filmmaker who has never been boxed into any specific genre when it comes to his filmography, Spielberg has also worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest superstars in iconic films that have stood the test of time.
A still from Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg (image credit: Universal Pictures)
Apart from being a genius in his craft, the Oscar winner is also famously known to have a wonderful working rapport with his cast and crew members which even saw him indulging them with memorable gifts following the wrap of the filming. One popular star who was a key figure in the director’s blockbuster series Jurassic Park, was stunned by what he received.
Jeff Goldblum Will Cherish Steven Spielberg’s Gift Forever
There is no...
A still from Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg (image credit: Universal Pictures)
Apart from being a genius in his craft, the Oscar winner is also famously known to have a wonderful working rapport with his cast and crew members which even saw him indulging them with memorable gifts following the wrap of the filming. One popular star who was a key figure in the director’s blockbuster series Jurassic Park, was stunned by what he received.
Jeff Goldblum Will Cherish Steven Spielberg’s Gift Forever
There is no...
- 7/11/2024
- by Sharanya Sankar
- FandomWire
Orson Welles first rose to fame with revisionist takes on William Shakespeare’s work, among them a 1937 theatrical production of Julius Caesar set in a fascist state and, a year earlier, Voodoo Macbeth, which relocated the plot of Macbeth to Haiti and featured an entirely black cast. His 1948 film adaptation of the play is similarly faithful in its use of the original text, with the actors going as far as to adopt thick highland brogues. The film likewise transposes Welles’s theatrical experimentations into cinematic terms, existing largely as a showcase for the auteur’s arcane, fussy expressionism, as well as the many cultural quirks borne of a peripatetic life. For example, in the opening scene in which Macbeth (Welles) meets the three witches, they make a facsimile of the lord out of clay, a voodoo-like touch that could be a subtle nod to Welles’s vaunted all-black stage production.
- 7/1/2024
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Steven Spielberg has an impressive portfolio of works in Hollywood. If fans get a closer look at his films, they can notice a pattern in them. Spielberg’s films are either great science fiction films or they’re set in the World War II period. The Jaws director once revealed the reason behind the recurring theme of World War 2 in his films.
Christian Bale as James Graham in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun | Amblin Entertainment
Fans should thank his father, Arnold Spielberg, a WWII veteran, who served as an inspiration for Spielberg’s projects like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Arnold Spielberg was also an Electrical Engineer, who made significant contributions to his real-time data acquisition.
Steven Spielberg’s Dad Inspired Him To Make Great War Films Former President Barack Obama visits with Steven Spielberg and his father Arnold Spielberg in Los Angeles (Official White House...
Christian Bale as James Graham in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun | Amblin Entertainment
Fans should thank his father, Arnold Spielberg, a WWII veteran, who served as an inspiration for Spielberg’s projects like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Arnold Spielberg was also an Electrical Engineer, who made significant contributions to his real-time data acquisition.
Steven Spielberg’s Dad Inspired Him To Make Great War Films Former President Barack Obama visits with Steven Spielberg and his father Arnold Spielberg in Los Angeles (Official White House...
- 6/9/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
It's one of the most defining moments of the character of Indiana Jones, and the most key moment in terms of the tone of 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is when confronted by a master swordsman in the streets of Cairo, Indy (played with a mixture of Bogart-like weariness and gumption by Harrison Ford) makes a snap decision not to engage the brute in a lengthy and (likely) ill-fated physical bout. Instead, he merely pulls his revolver from its holster and shoots the swordsman point blank, allowing him to quickly continue the search for his missing partner, Marion (Karen Allen).
As has become a thing of "Raiders" legend by now, this altercation was not originally scripted in this manner. In fact, it was the result of several factors, most notably director Steven Spielberg wishing to hurry his production schedule along and Ford, suffering from a gross illness at the time,...
As has become a thing of "Raiders" legend by now, this altercation was not originally scripted in this manner. In fact, it was the result of several factors, most notably director Steven Spielberg wishing to hurry his production schedule along and Ford, suffering from a gross illness at the time,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Franz Kafka’s The Trial seems straightforward enough as you read it, and yet the words don’t quite seem to take you anywhere. There’s an effect in the novel of dense nothingness: Kafka’s brilliance was for a pared-down prose with complex resonances that deliberately strand the reader. In a 1998 English translation issued by Schocken Books Inc., the translator in his preface discusses the thorniness of recreating in English from German how the word “assault” is used in various tenses to link the protagonist’s slander, his arrest, and his relationship to a typist. One could spend years attempting to parse the bottomless intricacies of The Trial, and people have. Kafka achieved a prose that deconstructs the convoluted legalese that societies adapt in an effort to divorce situations from common sense and decency via labyrinths of language, and thus controlling the populace.
Orson Welles is a counterintuitive fit for The Trial,...
Orson Welles is a counterintuitive fit for The Trial,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Chuck Bowen
- Slant Magazine
Two alleged victims of Andrew and Tristan Tate have filed a protective order to keep their identities confidential, citing intense doxxing and harassment from the Tates’ fans, associates, and even the brothers’ legal team, according to a filing obtained by Rolling Stone.
The order, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, requests that the court “seal all current and future pleadings and court-filings containing personally identifying information and details involving the relationship or alleged sexual histories of any defendants” due to “ongoing targeted harassment...
The order, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, requests that the court “seal all current and future pleadings and court-filings containing personally identifying information and details involving the relationship or alleged sexual histories of any defendants” due to “ongoing targeted harassment...
- 9/12/2023
- by Ej Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
Actor John Wayne was an inspiration for many movie stars around the world seeking to achieve his level of success. Some critics attacked his performances, claiming that he couldn’t act. Nevertheless, he continued to build the on-screen persona that Western and war genre audiences came to love. Wayne once explained that there was one actor that was an “enormous” impact on his career.
John Wayne had a signature walk and talk John Wayne | Getty Images
Wayne initially provided inspiration for filmmakers, such as John Ford and Raoul Walsh, who saw something in him. He was working in the props department at Fox before he landed his first leading role in 1930’s The Big Trail. However, Wayne didn’t develop his acting chops overnight, as he initially had difficulty finding the rhythm that became unique to him.
Red River and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance demonstrated some of the...
John Wayne had a signature walk and talk John Wayne | Getty Images
Wayne initially provided inspiration for filmmakers, such as John Ford and Raoul Walsh, who saw something in him. He was working in the props department at Fox before he landed his first leading role in 1930’s The Big Trail. However, Wayne didn’t develop his acting chops overnight, as he initially had difficulty finding the rhythm that became unique to him.
Red River and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance demonstrated some of the...
- 3/29/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
When it comes to classic collaborations between actors and directors, few can compete with John Ford and John Wayne. The two made movies together for most of their working careers. Even though Ford had a complicated working relationship with Wayne according to most accounts, bullying and belittling him when the cameras were off, they shared a great affection for each other between movies. And at their best, those movies are unbeatable.
Ford had a bit of a reputation for his behavior on sets, coming from his tendency to yell or roughhouse. If Ford could be a bit of a heel on set, a tyrannical bully with a megaphone, he was beloved to many of his longtime actors, the wide-ranging community that became known as the John Ford Stock Company. In many ways, his behavior was probably excused as a lot of masculine ribbing, men ridiculing each other in the tradition...
Ford had a bit of a reputation for his behavior on sets, coming from his tendency to yell or roughhouse. If Ford could be a bit of a heel on set, a tyrannical bully with a megaphone, he was beloved to many of his longtime actors, the wide-ranging community that became known as the John Ford Stock Company. In many ways, his behavior was probably excused as a lot of masculine ribbing, men ridiculing each other in the tradition...
- 3/19/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
When MGM’s Singin’ in the Rain, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s musical valentine to Hollywood’s silent film era as it transitioned into the world of talkies, opened in the spring of 1952, it instantly won over moviegoers. Writing in The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther enthused, “Compounded generously of music, dance, color spectacle and a riotous abundance of Gene Kelly, Jean Hagen and Donald O’Connor on the screen, all elements in this rainbow program are carefully contrived and guaranteed to lift the dolors of winter and put you in a buttercup mood.” The movie went on to become a box office hit, ranking as the 10th highest-grossing film of the year in North America. The Writers Guild awarded Betty Comden and Adolph Green its prize for best-written American musical. The Directors Guild nominated Kelly and Donen for outstanding direction. And the Golden Globe Awards nominated it as best comedy or musical.
- 1/10/2023
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Citizen Kane" director Orson Welles was a highly prolific and influential filmmaker, to say the least. His obsession with exploring power through unconventional means has resulted in some of the most acclaimed films in the American movie canon. While some of his movies were not fully appreciated in their time, it's hard to overstate the influence Welles has had on filmmaking and filmmakers to this day.
However, for as many movies as he was able to make, there were just as many that he didn't couldn't to life. For a variety of reasons, many of Welles' projects wound up never seeing the light of day. These films have long been the subject of speculation and confusion, as there often isn't a lot of available details about them. However, that just makes these unfinished films that much more interesting to learn about. And you're looking for a guide to some of...
However, for as many movies as he was able to make, there were just as many that he didn't couldn't to life. For a variety of reasons, many of Welles' projects wound up never seeing the light of day. These films have long been the subject of speculation and confusion, as there often isn't a lot of available details about them. However, that just makes these unfinished films that much more interesting to learn about. And you're looking for a guide to some of...
- 8/15/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
A troublesome production doesn't always mean a bad film. Case in point, "Jaws." The 159-day-long shoot went over budget and behind schedule, with many of the problems stemming from the star special effect: "Bruce" the mechanical shark. The making of "Jaws" was so eventful that there have been multiple books and a stage play recounting it. And yet, the film was still, to put it mildly, a success.
The lessons that director Steven Spielberg learned on "Jaws" influenced how he would make "Jurassic Park" almost 20 years later. According to Joseph McBride's "Steven Spielberg: A Biography," the director's goal with "Jurassic Park" was, "to make a good sequel to 'Jaws.' On land." Some unpleasant memories from the "Jaws" shoot even caused Spielberg to scrap a planned set-piece featuring a swimming T. Rex.
The Deleted T. Rex Scene
Compared to Michael Crichton's original novel, Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" is stripped down to the essentials.
The lessons that director Steven Spielberg learned on "Jaws" influenced how he would make "Jurassic Park" almost 20 years later. According to Joseph McBride's "Steven Spielberg: A Biography," the director's goal with "Jurassic Park" was, "to make a good sequel to 'Jaws.' On land." Some unpleasant memories from the "Jaws" shoot even caused Spielberg to scrap a planned set-piece featuring a swimming T. Rex.
The Deleted T. Rex Scene
Compared to Michael Crichton's original novel, Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" is stripped down to the essentials.
- 8/12/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Despite its so-so critical reputation John Ford’s cavalry picture is still a superior Civil War drama, making excellent use of a real historical incident. The conflicts between John Wayne’s commander, William Holden’s doctor and Constance Ford’s unexpected prisoner play well — plus Ford manages scores of great images and a handful of classic scenes. Seeing it with the help of Joseph McBride’s commentary helps too — the story behind the movie is interesting in itself. And we’re told that Wayne never personally fires a shot in the film!
The Horse Soldiers
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / Color / 1:85 / 120 min. / Street Date June 14, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Ken Curtis, Willis Bouchey, O.Z. Whitehead, Althea Gibson, Anna Lee, Jack Pennick, Hoot Gibson, Hank Worden, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Carleton Young, Russell Simpson, William Wellman, Jr..
Cinematography: William H. Clothier
Art Director: Frank Hotaling...
The Horse Soldiers
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / Color / 1:85 / 120 min. / Street Date June 14, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Ken Curtis, Willis Bouchey, O.Z. Whitehead, Althea Gibson, Anna Lee, Jack Pennick, Hoot Gibson, Hank Worden, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Carleton Young, Russell Simpson, William Wellman, Jr..
Cinematography: William H. Clothier
Art Director: Frank Hotaling...
- 5/28/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When John Wayne showed up on television, he was usually playing himself in a showbiz cameo, like his "I Love Lucy" guest appearance. As one of the century's biggest movie stars, he didn't exactly need exposure.
But Ward Bond, Wayne's co-star in many of legendary director John Ford's movies, struggled over whether or not he should make a move to television. When Ford discussed it with Bond, he got blunt. According to Joseph McBride's book "Searching for John Ford," the director called his friend a "dumb Irishman" and asked, "Don't you act for a living?" Bond listened, and took a leading role in "Wagon...
The post The Uncredited John Wayne TV Role You've Probably Never Seen appeared first on /Film.
But Ward Bond, Wayne's co-star in many of legendary director John Ford's movies, struggled over whether or not he should make a move to television. When Ford discussed it with Bond, he got blunt. According to Joseph McBride's book "Searching for John Ford," the director called his friend a "dumb Irishman" and asked, "Don't you act for a living?" Bond listened, and took a leading role in "Wagon...
The post The Uncredited John Wayne TV Role You've Probably Never Seen appeared first on /Film.
- 4/11/2022
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
“You Cannot Fool Everyone All The Time”
By Raymond Benson
Abraham Lincoln once famously said, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” That utterance is evoked in the course of Billy Wilder’s 1966 acerbic comedy, The Fortune Cookie and it certainly applies to the legal goings-on as instigated by “Whiplash Willie” Gingrich (Walter Matthau), an unscrupulous lawyer who sets out to commit fraud against an insurance company for big bucks.
While it’s arguable that the great Billy Wilder continued to make good films into the 1970s, The Fortune Cookie might be his last superb one. It’s no Some Like it Hot or The Apartment, but the picture manages to evoke many laughs and also exhibits what is perhaps the quintessential performance by Matthau.
Jack Lemmon is sports news cameraman Harry Hinkle.
By Raymond Benson
Abraham Lincoln once famously said, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” That utterance is evoked in the course of Billy Wilder’s 1966 acerbic comedy, The Fortune Cookie and it certainly applies to the legal goings-on as instigated by “Whiplash Willie” Gingrich (Walter Matthau), an unscrupulous lawyer who sets out to commit fraud against an insurance company for big bucks.
While it’s arguable that the great Billy Wilder continued to make good films into the 1970s, The Fortune Cookie might be his last superb one. It’s no Some Like it Hot or The Apartment, but the picture manages to evoke many laughs and also exhibits what is perhaps the quintessential performance by Matthau.
Jack Lemmon is sports news cameraman Harry Hinkle.
- 8/4/2021
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-w. Va.) seemingly dashed any hopes of Democrats abolishing the filibuster anytime soon when he wrote last week that the legislative maneuver was a “critical tool” to protecting “our democratic form of government.” That’s a far different view than that of former President Barack Obama, who called it a “Jim Crow relic,” along with a slew of other critics. But an idealized view of the filibuster as a force for good isn’t an outlier; it’s the way that many students, of past generations and even today, are first exposed to it, via the 1939 Frank Capra classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. As much of a relic as the movie is, the climatic scene, in which Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) stages a nearly 24- hour filibuster against corruption and back-room dealing among his colleagues, has endured. It’s still used as a teaching tool and,...
- 4/11/2021
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Billy Wilder’s first big Oscar winner holds up as fine work in every respect, and serves as evidence of the writer-director’s moviemaking instincts at a time when he could do no wrong. Starring Ray Milland as a self-destructive alcoholic, Wilder and Charles Brackett manage to retain much of the sordid truth and nightmarish horror of the ordeal of would-be writer Don Birnham, who ducks his guilty self-loathing by taking to the bottle. It’s still a harrowing experience, with a sharp emotional kick. This new remastered edition carries a commentary by Joseph McBride. Co-starring Jane Wyman, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen and Phillip Terry; the scary music is by Miklos Rozsa.
The Lost Weekend
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 101 min. / Street Date November 24, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Douglas Spencer,...
The Lost Weekend
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 101 min. / Street Date November 24, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Douglas Spencer,...
- 12/26/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Joseph McBride, the veteran film historian, biographer, screenwriter and professor in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University, has written three critical studies on Orson Welles including “What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? A Portrait of an Independent Career” (2006). He knew the legendary filmmaker and even appears as a young film critic in “The Other Side of the Wind,” Welles’ infamous unfinished film, which was completed and released in 2018.
He’s also been a staunch defender of the filmmaker’s authorship of 1941’s “Citizen Kane” since the publication of Pauline Kael’s controversial 50,000 word “Raising Kane,” which first appeared in two consecutive New Yorker articles in Feb. 1971. Kael praised the contributions to the Oscar-winning script by Herman Mankiewicz, who has the first position in the screen credit, while denigrating Welles’ contribution.
And the argument is back in the news with David Fincher’s new film, “Mank”,’ currently streaming on Netflix,...
He’s also been a staunch defender of the filmmaker’s authorship of 1941’s “Citizen Kane” since the publication of Pauline Kael’s controversial 50,000 word “Raising Kane,” which first appeared in two consecutive New Yorker articles in Feb. 1971. Kael praised the contributions to the Oscar-winning script by Herman Mankiewicz, who has the first position in the screen credit, while denigrating Welles’ contribution.
And the argument is back in the news with David Fincher’s new film, “Mank”,’ currently streaming on Netflix,...
- 12/10/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
David Fincher’s “Mank,” a drama set in the Hollywood of the 1930s and ’40s and focusing on “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, has found itself embroiled in an argument that began when Fincher was only 8 years old. It’s a battle whose combatants included film critic Pauline Kael, director Peter Bogdanovich and Orson Welles himself.
At issue is the question of how much Welles contributed to the “Kane” script, for which he and Mankiewicz are both credited. Welles’ critics say the screenplay was almost entirely Mankiewicz’s creation, with the director-actor-producer trying to seize writing credit from the man who actually did the work. Welles’ supporters say that Mankiewicz and Welles simultaneously wrote first drafts, which Welles then turned into the final script, largely without input from Mankiewicz.
“Mank” does not adhere strictly to either viewpoint, and much of the film is devoted more to the California gubernatorial election...
At issue is the question of how much Welles contributed to the “Kane” script, for which he and Mankiewicz are both credited. Welles’ critics say the screenplay was almost entirely Mankiewicz’s creation, with the director-actor-producer trying to seize writing credit from the man who actually did the work. Welles’ supporters say that Mankiewicz and Welles simultaneously wrote first drafts, which Welles then turned into the final script, largely without input from Mankiewicz.
“Mank” does not adhere strictly to either viewpoint, and much of the film is devoted more to the California gubernatorial election...
- 12/9/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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“The DTs In High Definition”
By Raymond Benson
In 1945, Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend was a big deal. If it wasn’t the first Hollywood movie to portray alcoholism as a serious problem, then it was certainly the most visible and influential one.
In the latter 1940s, Hollywood’s output changed from the sunshine-feel good-entertainments that the Golden Age had produced in the 30s and early 40s. American GIs came home from the war, and many were disillusioned and cynical. The war was the catalyst for Americans to “grow up.” They were ready to accept more serious, darker fare. Thus, we got film noir—crime pictures that were full of angst and betrayals—and we got the “social problem film.” The latter tackled subjects that Hollywood had previously never touched—alcoholism, racism, anti-Semitism, government corruption, and drug abuse. Titles like Gentleman’s Agreement,...
“The DTs In High Definition”
By Raymond Benson
In 1945, Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend was a big deal. If it wasn’t the first Hollywood movie to portray alcoholism as a serious problem, then it was certainly the most visible and influential one.
In the latter 1940s, Hollywood’s output changed from the sunshine-feel good-entertainments that the Golden Age had produced in the 30s and early 40s. American GIs came home from the war, and many were disillusioned and cynical. The war was the catalyst for Americans to “grow up.” They were ready to accept more serious, darker fare. Thus, we got film noir—crime pictures that were full of angst and betrayals—and we got the “social problem film.” The latter tackled subjects that Hollywood had previously never touched—alcoholism, racism, anti-Semitism, government corruption, and drug abuse. Titles like Gentleman’s Agreement,...
- 11/30/2020
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Review: Billy Wilder's "Five Graves To Cairo" (1943) Starring Franchot Tone; Blu-ray Special Edition
By Raymond Benson
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“Billy Wilder Goes To War”
By Raymond Benson
In 1943, Hollywood churned out dozens of war films in support of the U.S. involvement in the global conflict raging at the time. Many were cheaply made rush jobs, others were good “B” pictures, and a select group were “A” level, excellent pieces of celluloid that are now classics. All were essentially propaganda pictures made to lift the spirits of the American people and the troops who were able to see them. Rah Rah, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!
Billy Wilder, an Austrian Jew who had fled Germany as the Nazis gained power, settled in Hollywood in 1933 after a brief stint in France. He immediately found work as a talented screenwriter, ultimately earning his first Oscar nomination for co-writing Ninotchka (1939). As war heated up in the 1940s, Wilder then became, after the likes of Preston Sturges,...
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“Billy Wilder Goes To War”
By Raymond Benson
In 1943, Hollywood churned out dozens of war films in support of the U.S. involvement in the global conflict raging at the time. Many were cheaply made rush jobs, others were good “B” pictures, and a select group were “A” level, excellent pieces of celluloid that are now classics. All were essentially propaganda pictures made to lift the spirits of the American people and the troops who were able to see them. Rah Rah, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!
Billy Wilder, an Austrian Jew who had fled Germany as the Nazis gained power, settled in Hollywood in 1933 after a brief stint in France. He immediately found work as a talented screenwriter, ultimately earning his first Oscar nomination for co-writing Ninotchka (1939). As war heated up in the 1940s, Wilder then became, after the likes of Preston Sturges,...
- 10/17/2020
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Ya like quality pro-intervention propaganda? Warners’ filmic call to arms inspired America’s reluctant warriors via a superhuman feat by a highly decorated WW1 veteran… and promptly got into hot water with the United States congress. Howard Hawks’ highly effective load of sentiment and sanctimony makes Tennesseans look like denizens of Dogpatch, U.S.A.. But America loved it, even favorite Gary Cooper’s cute ‘aw shucks’ mannerisms that compare shooting the enemy with shooting a turkey. That’s how we baby boomers learned about patriotism.
Sergeant York
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 134 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias, Stanley Ridges, Margaret Wycherly, Ward Bond, Noah Beery Jr., June Lockhart.
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Second Unit Director: Don Siegel
Film Editor: William Holmes
Original Music: Max Steiner
Written by Abem Finkel, Harry Chandlee, Howard Koch, John Huston...
Sergeant York
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 134 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias, Stanley Ridges, Margaret Wycherly, Ward Bond, Noah Beery Jr., June Lockhart.
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Second Unit Director: Don Siegel
Film Editor: William Holmes
Original Music: Max Steiner
Written by Abem Finkel, Harry Chandlee, Howard Koch, John Huston...
- 10/3/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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By John M. Whalen
Some movie directors achieve greatness by steadily working at their craft over a lifetime, building their reputation movie by movie, until they develop a following, creating a catalogue of films that they become known for. It’s a steady process of craftsmanship. And then there are some few directors who seem to come out of the egg fully hatched, so to speak. Their particular vision, their attraction to certain themes, their own peculiar style is evident even from their earliest work. Orson Welles was one such film maker. So were Howard Hawks and Sam Peckinpah. If you watch the episodes of the half-hour “Gunsmoke” TV series that Peckinpah wrote in the 1950’s, or The Westerner TV series in 1960, you will be surprised to see how many of the themes and obsessions that Peckinpah put into films like “The Wild Bunch...
By John M. Whalen
Some movie directors achieve greatness by steadily working at their craft over a lifetime, building their reputation movie by movie, until they develop a following, creating a catalogue of films that they become known for. It’s a steady process of craftsmanship. And then there are some few directors who seem to come out of the egg fully hatched, so to speak. Their particular vision, their attraction to certain themes, their own peculiar style is evident even from their earliest work. Orson Welles was one such film maker. So were Howard Hawks and Sam Peckinpah. If you watch the episodes of the half-hour “Gunsmoke” TV series that Peckinpah wrote in the 1950’s, or The Westerner TV series in 1960, you will be surprised to see how many of the themes and obsessions that Peckinpah put into films like “The Wild Bunch...
- 8/12/2020
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Acclaimed stuntman and action director extraordinaire Jesse V. Johnson joins us to discuss the U.S. based action films and filmmakers that have influenced him the most.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
On The Waterfront (1954)
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)
Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Boyka: Undisputed (2016)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Convoy (1978)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Birdcage (1996)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
Easy Rider (1969)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Ride The High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
Jinxed! (1982)
Beowulf (2007)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Girl Hunters (1963)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Falling Down (1993)
M (1951)
M (1931)
The Black Vampire (1953)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Scum (1979)
Elephant (1989)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
On The Waterfront (1954)
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)
Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Boyka: Undisputed (2016)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Convoy (1978)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Birdcage (1996)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
Easy Rider (1969)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Ride The High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
Jinxed! (1982)
Beowulf (2007)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Girl Hunters (1963)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Falling Down (1993)
M (1951)
M (1931)
The Black Vampire (1953)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Scum (1979)
Elephant (1989)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...
- 3/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
One of America’s favorite holiday movies plays strangely today, and despite being one of the most popular pictures of its year, really should have disturbed people when it was new as well. Director Leo McCarey and his glowing stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman do remarkable work, and the show has its heart in the right place… but the values built into the story are painfully wrong-headed. We don’t expect ’40s films to adhere to today’s so-called enlightened PC values, but some of the attitudes in this one make us want to throw things at the screen. Taken from a beautifully remastered new restoration, Olive’s Signature Edition is flawless.
The Bells of St. Mary’s
Blu-ray
Olive Signature
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 126 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through the Olive Signature website / 39.95
Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, William Gargan, Ruth Donnelly, Joan Carroll, Martha Sleeper,...
The Bells of St. Mary’s
Blu-ray
Olive Signature
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 126 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through the Olive Signature website / 39.95
Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, William Gargan, Ruth Donnelly, Joan Carroll, Martha Sleeper,...
- 11/26/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
If you like Billy Wilder but haven’t seen everything he’s done, this is the film for you, a sparkling but typically sharp-tongued comedy-drama set in the last place expected in 1948 — bombed-out Berlin, rumored to be awash in corruption. Jean Arthur is the Iowa congresswoman out to clean up the town, and Marlene Dietrich a war survivor with a highly suspect past. Underrated John Lund is the Romeo with Captain’s stripes, brushing up on his (click) umlaut. And Millard Mitchell, of all people, steals the movie. Great cabaret songs by Friedrich Hollander, and an A-class commentary by Joseph McBride.
A Foreign Affair
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 116 min. / Street Date August 6, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, John Lund, Millard Mitchell, Peter von Zerneck, Stanley Prager.
Cinematography: Charles Lang
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Richard L. Breen; adaptation Robert Harari,...
A Foreign Affair
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 116 min. / Street Date August 6, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, John Lund, Millard Mitchell, Peter von Zerneck, Stanley Prager.
Cinematography: Charles Lang
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Richard L. Breen; adaptation Robert Harari,...
- 8/10/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In the late 1970s, Roger Corman was looking to produce a high school-themed movie. Knowing that one of his young directing proteges had a bent for music, the head of New World Pictures had an idea. As Allan Arkush remembers Corman telling him: “I’ve been thinking, since ‘Grease’ and ‘Saturday Night Fever’ are hits, why don’t you put music in it and we’ll call it ‘Disco High’?”
Fortunately, as “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” took shape, cooler heads prevailed … and nothing could be cooler than the Ramones, then, in 1979, or now, even after most of the band members have passed on. It was 40 years ago this week that the film had its New York City opening, which was part of a very, very staggered release pattern for a low-budget project that came to stand in the upper ranks of almost everyone’s list of essential music movies.
Fortunately, as “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” took shape, cooler heads prevailed … and nothing could be cooler than the Ramones, then, in 1979, or now, even after most of the band members have passed on. It was 40 years ago this week that the film had its New York City opening, which was part of a very, very staggered release pattern for a low-budget project that came to stand in the upper ranks of almost everyone’s list of essential music movies.
- 8/5/2019
- by Raj Tawney
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Suzanne Cloutier, Robert Coote, Fay Compton, Michael Laurence | Written by William Shakespeare, Orson Welles, Jean Sacha | Directed by Orson Welles
We open with a funeral. For whom we’re not sure, but by the end of Orson Welles’ 1952 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Moorish tragedy Othello we can be certain that more than one of the main characters will be dead.
The location is Cyprus, and Venetian General Othello (Welles) is married to Desdemona, much to the chagrin of Othello’s supposedly loyal ensign, Iago (Micheál MacLiammóir). The latter sets about bringing ruin to his master through a convoluted campaign of rumour and hearsay. Specifically, he makes Othello believe that one of his captains, Cassio (Michael Laurence), is romantically involved with Desdemona. In all of literature a simple handkerchief has never held such power.
MacLiammóir is having an absolute riot in the upsetter role (the painted-on...
We open with a funeral. For whom we’re not sure, but by the end of Orson Welles’ 1952 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Moorish tragedy Othello we can be certain that more than one of the main characters will be dead.
The location is Cyprus, and Venetian General Othello (Welles) is married to Desdemona, much to the chagrin of Othello’s supposedly loyal ensign, Iago (Micheál MacLiammóir). The latter sets about bringing ruin to his master through a convoluted campaign of rumour and hearsay. Specifically, he makes Othello believe that one of his captains, Cassio (Michael Laurence), is romantically involved with Desdemona. In all of literature a simple handkerchief has never held such power.
MacLiammóir is having an absolute riot in the upsetter role (the painted-on...
- 12/14/2018
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Stars: Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Agnes Moorehead, Orson Welles | Written by Orson Welles, Booth Tarkington (novel) | Directed by Orson Welles
Aka the film that Orson Welles made after Citizen Kane, and which has become synonymous with studio interference. Perhaps an hour of footage was slashed and burned, hence the 90-minute version we are left with. Though, even without the full vision of Welles, it’s a cracking piece of cinema.
On the surface The Magnificent Ambersons is a simple story of youthful jealousy and impudence. It’s the early 20th century, and the western world is on the cusp of an automobile revolution. 20-year-old George (Tim Holt) doesn’t see it as such – he just sees an opportunistic businessman named Eugene (Joseph Cotton) trying to seduce his lonely mother, Isabel (Dolores Costello).
George has no great ambitions of his own. What use are ambitions when he...
Aka the film that Orson Welles made after Citizen Kane, and which has become synonymous with studio interference. Perhaps an hour of footage was slashed and burned, hence the 90-minute version we are left with. Though, even without the full vision of Welles, it’s a cracking piece of cinema.
On the surface The Magnificent Ambersons is a simple story of youthful jealousy and impudence. It’s the early 20th century, and the western world is on the cusp of an automobile revolution. 20-year-old George (Tim Holt) doesn’t see it as such – he just sees an opportunistic businessman named Eugene (Joseph Cotton) trying to seduce his lonely mother, Isabel (Dolores Costello).
George has no great ambitions of his own. What use are ambitions when he...
- 12/13/2018
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
These wartime docu-propaganda films are fascinating, but critic Joseph McBride’s critical accompaniment is even better, nailing the meaning of five groundbreaking works of ‘indoctrination’ and giving us a refreshing revisionist take on one of America’s more revered film directors.
Mr. Capra Goes to War: Frank Capra’s World War II Documentaries
Blu-ray
Prelude to War, The Battle of Russia (1&2), The Negro Soldier, Tunisian Victory, Your Job in Germany
Olive Films
1942-1945 / B&W / 2:35 1:85 widescreen / 1:37 flat Academy / 310 min. / Street Date November 6, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Walter Huston (frequent Narrator).
Introduction and lecture: Joseph McBride
Executive-produced by Frank Capra
I just realized that this is a big year for the film scholar, biographer and critic Joseph McBride. Not only has he an important new book on the shelves, he plays a significant role in front of and behind the scenes in the finally-finished Orson Welles...
Mr. Capra Goes to War: Frank Capra’s World War II Documentaries
Blu-ray
Prelude to War, The Battle of Russia (1&2), The Negro Soldier, Tunisian Victory, Your Job in Germany
Olive Films
1942-1945 / B&W / 2:35 1:85 widescreen / 1:37 flat Academy / 310 min. / Street Date November 6, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Walter Huston (frequent Narrator).
Introduction and lecture: Joseph McBride
Executive-produced by Frank Capra
I just realized that this is a big year for the film scholar, biographer and critic Joseph McBride. Not only has he an important new book on the shelves, he plays a significant role in front of and behind the scenes in the finally-finished Orson Welles...
- 11/6/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi star in Olivier Assayas's Non-Fiction (Doubles Vies) with Christa Théret and Pascal Greggory Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Tom Volf's standout Maria By Callas on Maria Callas, with the voice of Joyce Didonato in the Spotlight on Documentary program; Special Events selection Morgan Neville's They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead documentary with Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, and Joseph McBride on the making of Orson Welles's The Other Side Of The Wind; and in the Main Slate Paul Dano's Wildlife, co-written with Zoe Kazan, starring Ed Oxenbould, Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Bill Camp, and Olivier Assayas's Non-Fiction (Doubles Vies) with Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, and Nora Hamzawi round out the four early bird highlights of the 56th New York Film Festival.
They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
They’ll Love Me When I...
Tom Volf's standout Maria By Callas on Maria Callas, with the voice of Joyce Didonato in the Spotlight on Documentary program; Special Events selection Morgan Neville's They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead documentary with Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, and Joseph McBride on the making of Orson Welles's The Other Side Of The Wind; and in the Main Slate Paul Dano's Wildlife, co-written with Zoe Kazan, starring Ed Oxenbould, Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Bill Camp, and Olivier Assayas's Non-Fiction (Doubles Vies) with Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, and Nora Hamzawi round out the four early bird highlights of the 56th New York Film Festival.
They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
They’ll Love Me When I...
- 9/24/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Can you feel the change of seasons? November 2018 will see the Northern Hemisphere grow colder, while the Southern Hemisphere grows warmer, but we can all agree: it will be a very good month for all fans of the Criterion Collection. The home video label has announced its offerings for the month, led by the first Blu-ray appearance for Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons. It's an even better film than Citizen Kane, in my personal estimation, despite the studio's mangling of the ending. The new edition will feature two audio commentaries to go along with the new 4K digital restoration, new interviews with Welles' biographers Simon Callow and Joseph McBride, new video essays, and much more. That's due on November 20. Earlier in the month,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/16/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Ernst Lubitsch At The Billy Wilder | 10899 Wilshire Blvd.
In conjunction with the publication of film historian Joseph McBride’s new book How Did Lubitsch Do It?, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is mounting a two-month retrospective of the great German-American filmmaker at the Billy Wilder Theater. Beginning July 6 with the 1926 marital comedy So This Is Paris, the series (presented almost entirely on 35mm) moves from the silent era through Hollywood’s golden age, following Lubitsch as he worked his way between multiple studios, including Warner Bros., Paramount and MGM. Curious about the famed “Lubitsch touch”? Look ...
In conjunction with the publication of film historian Joseph McBride’s new book How Did Lubitsch Do It?, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is mounting a two-month retrospective of the great German-American filmmaker at the Billy Wilder Theater. Beginning July 6 with the 1926 marital comedy So This Is Paris, the series (presented almost entirely on 35mm) moves from the silent era through Hollywood’s golden age, following Lubitsch as he worked his way between multiple studios, including Warner Bros., Paramount and MGM. Curious about the famed “Lubitsch touch”? Look ...
- 6/28/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ernst Lubitsch At The Billy Wilder | 10899 Wilshire Blvd.
In conjunction with the publication of film historian Joseph McBride’s new book How Did Lubitsch Do It?, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is mounting a two-month retrospective of the great German-American filmmaker at the Billy Wilder Theater. Beginning July 6 with the 1926 marital comedy So This Is Paris, the series (presented almost entirely on 35mm) moves from the silent era through Hollywood’s golden age, following Lubitsch as he worked his way between multiple studios, including Warner Bros., Paramount and MGM. Curious about the famed “Lubitsch touch”? Look ...
In conjunction with the publication of film historian Joseph McBride’s new book How Did Lubitsch Do It?, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is mounting a two-month retrospective of the great German-American filmmaker at the Billy Wilder Theater. Beginning July 6 with the 1926 marital comedy So This Is Paris, the series (presented almost entirely on 35mm) moves from the silent era through Hollywood’s golden age, following Lubitsch as he worked his way between multiple studios, including Warner Bros., Paramount and MGM. Curious about the famed “Lubitsch touch”? Look ...
- 6/28/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Viewers looking (desperately) for American leaders to admire can’t do better than to reflect on John Ford’s folksy, at least partly authentic honorarium to one of the greats. Henry Fonda is 100% dead-on as a vision of Abe Lincoln to bring tears to our eyes. Imagine . . . there’s such a thing as political integrity, or simply a person that puts the public good ahead of personal advantage. Criterion’s older extras are augmented with a fine new feature commentary by John Ford authority Joseph McBride.
Young Mr. Lincoln
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 320
1939 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 100 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 9, 2018 / 39.95
Starring: Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Arleen Whelan, Eddie Collins, Richard Cromwell, Eddie Quillan, Ward Bond, Milburn Stone, Francis Ford, Fred Kohler Jr..
Cinematography: Bert Glennon
Original Music: Alfred Newman
Written by Lamar Trotti
Produced by Kenneth Macgowan, Darryl F. Zanuck
Directed by John...
Young Mr. Lincoln
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 320
1939 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 100 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 9, 2018 / 39.95
Starring: Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Arleen Whelan, Eddie Collins, Richard Cromwell, Eddie Quillan, Ward Bond, Milburn Stone, Francis Ford, Fred Kohler Jr..
Cinematography: Bert Glennon
Original Music: Alfred Newman
Written by Lamar Trotti
Produced by Kenneth Macgowan, Darryl F. Zanuck
Directed by John...
- 1/6/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Othello
Blu-ray
Criterion
1952 / Black and White / 1:33 / Street Date October 10, 2017
Starring Orson Welles, Suzanne Cloutier, Micheál MacLiammóir
Cinematography by G.R. Aldo, Anchise Brizzi, George Fanto, Alberto Fusi, Oberdan Troiani
Written by William Shakespeare (Adapted by Orson Welles)
Edited by Jenö Csepreghy, Renzo Lucidi, William Morton, Jean Sacha
Produced by Orson Welles, Julien Derode
Directed by Orson Welles
Shakespeare didn’t invent Orson Welles but he did define him; it can be said that if any one director took arms against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, it was the man behind Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil and Chimes at Midnight. The 1952 production of Othello is exhibit A.
Filmed over a turbulent three year period in and around Morocco, Venice and Rome, Welles was bedeviled by an ever-changing cast and crew resulting in reshoots by five different cinematographers and assembled by four different editors. The sound recording was a joke.
Blu-ray
Criterion
1952 / Black and White / 1:33 / Street Date October 10, 2017
Starring Orson Welles, Suzanne Cloutier, Micheál MacLiammóir
Cinematography by G.R. Aldo, Anchise Brizzi, George Fanto, Alberto Fusi, Oberdan Troiani
Written by William Shakespeare (Adapted by Orson Welles)
Edited by Jenö Csepreghy, Renzo Lucidi, William Morton, Jean Sacha
Produced by Orson Welles, Julien Derode
Directed by Orson Welles
Shakespeare didn’t invent Orson Welles but he did define him; it can be said that if any one director took arms against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, it was the man behind Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil and Chimes at Midnight. The 1952 production of Othello is exhibit A.
Filmed over a turbulent three year period in and around Morocco, Venice and Rome, Welles was bedeviled by an ever-changing cast and crew resulting in reshoots by five different cinematographers and assembled by four different editors. The sound recording was a joke.
- 10/17/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
To family and friends, Ernest and Heather Franklin seemed to provide a loving home to Jeffrey, the special needs child they adopted at 11.
They took him on fun trips, like one to see a locomotive train. They treated him to the 3D movies he loved.
But Facebook posts before March 1 — when Jeffrey, now 16, was found dead after a large fire his parents are accused of setting to cover up his alleged murder — give a different glimpse of their home life and reveal how raising him allegedly “caused stress in the family,” according to court records obtained by People.
The Franklins...
They took him on fun trips, like one to see a locomotive train. They treated him to the 3D movies he loved.
But Facebook posts before March 1 — when Jeffrey, now 16, was found dead after a large fire his parents are accused of setting to cover up his alleged murder — give a different glimpse of their home life and reveal how raising him allegedly “caused stress in the family,” according to court records obtained by People.
The Franklins...
- 7/6/2017
- by KC Baker
- PEOPLE.com
Ernest and Heather Franklin weren’t home when a massive fire tore through their home in rural, upstate New York at about 1:15 a.m. on March 1.
Their 16-year-old adopted son, Jeffrey, wasn’t so lucky: Firefighters who arrived at the family’s Guilford home when it was fully engulfed in flames later found his body among the charred ruins.
“He was a great kid,” friend and neighbor Brenda Welsh tells People. “It’s so tragic.”
Even more devastating were the disturbing allegations that emerged in the weeks following the tragic death of the developmentally disabled boy, who was deaf and unable to speak.
Their 16-year-old adopted son, Jeffrey, wasn’t so lucky: Firefighters who arrived at the family’s Guilford home when it was fully engulfed in flames later found his body among the charred ruins.
“He was a great kid,” friend and neighbor Brenda Welsh tells People. “It’s so tragic.”
Even more devastating were the disturbing allegations that emerged in the weeks following the tragic death of the developmentally disabled boy, who was deaf and unable to speak.
- 7/5/2017
- by KC Baker
- PEOPLE.com
The upstate New York mom accused with her husband of killing their adopted special needs son and burning their house in a plot inspired by the movie Manchester by the Sea had been a foster parent to multiple children, court records reveal.
Heather Franklin, 33, and husband Ernest Franklin II, 35, are accused of murdering their son Jeffrey Franklin, 16, and then covering it up by burning down their house.
During a bail review hearing last Friday, Heather Franklin’s lawyer, Michael Trosset said his client has no criminal record and said she had been a foster parent, which he said was a testament to her good character.
Heather Franklin, 33, and husband Ernest Franklin II, 35, are accused of murdering their son Jeffrey Franklin, 16, and then covering it up by burning down their house.
During a bail review hearing last Friday, Heather Franklin’s lawyer, Michael Trosset said his client has no criminal record and said she had been a foster parent, which he said was a testament to her good character.
- 4/13/2017
- by KC Baker
- PEOPLE.com
“Manchester by the Sea” had millions of viewers bawling over its heartbreaking storyline — and now it may even have inspired a real-life murder. According to a prosecutor, a New York state couple copied the plotline of the Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams awards favorite when carrying out the murder of their adopted son because of the strain caused by his special needs. Within hours of watching “Manchester” on Feb. 28, Ernest and Heather Franklin killed Jeffrey Franklin, 16, and tried to cover up the crime with a house fire, Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride said during a bail hearing, Wbng reported.
- 4/13/2017
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
Anyone who found “Manchester by the Sea” unbearably depressing would do well to turn back now. According to a prosecutor in New York, a married couple took a cue from Kenneth Lonergan’s Oscar-winning film by allegedly killing their adoptive son with special needs and attempting to cover up the murder by starting a fire.
Read More: Kenneth Lonergan on the Quiet Extremes of ‘Manchester by the Sea’: Awards Spotlight
In the film — spoilers to follow — the children of Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams’ characters die in an accidental house fire. “Within two hours of that movie playing to this defendant and her husband, Jeffrey’s deceased,” attorney Joseph McBride said of the crime. The couple are said to have watched “Manchester by the Sea” on February 28, just two days after it won the Academy Awards for Best Actor (Affleck) and Best Original Screenplay (Lonergan). Jeffrey Franklin was...
Read More: Kenneth Lonergan on the Quiet Extremes of ‘Manchester by the Sea’: Awards Spotlight
In the film — spoilers to follow — the children of Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams’ characters die in an accidental house fire. “Within two hours of that movie playing to this defendant and her husband, Jeffrey’s deceased,” attorney Joseph McBride said of the crime. The couple are said to have watched “Manchester by the Sea” on February 28, just two days after it won the Academy Awards for Best Actor (Affleck) and Best Original Screenplay (Lonergan). Jeffrey Franklin was...
- 4/12/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
[Warning: The following story contains spoilers from Manchester by the Sea.]
A couple decided to kill their disabled adoptive son and cover up the crime with a house fire after watching the Oscar-winning movie Manchester by the Sea, according to the New York prosecutor handling the case.
Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride said during a bail hearing for Ernest and Heather Franklin last week that Jeffrey Franklin, 16, was killed within two hours of the couple watching the film on Feb. 28, two days after the movie won Academy Awards for best actor and best original screenplay. McBride said...
A couple decided to kill their disabled adoptive son and cover up the crime with a house fire after watching the Oscar-winning movie Manchester by the Sea, according to the New York prosecutor handling the case.
Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride said during a bail hearing for Ernest and Heather Franklin last week that Jeffrey Franklin, 16, was killed within two hours of the couple watching the film on Feb. 28, two days after the movie won Academy Awards for best actor and best original screenplay. McBride said...
- 4/12/2017
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shocking new allegations emerged in court Friday when prosecutors said the upstate New York parents accused of murdering their special needs son — and burning their house down to cover it up – came up with the idea after watching the movie Manchester by the Sea.
On Feb. 28, 16-year-old Jeffrey Franklin was found dead after a fire at the Mount Upton, New York, home he shared with his adoptive parents, Ernest Franklin, 35, and Heather Franklin, 33, who are now charged in his death.
An investigation after the fire revealed that Jeffrey, a special needs child who was deaf, did not have smoke or soot in his mouth,...
On Feb. 28, 16-year-old Jeffrey Franklin was found dead after a fire at the Mount Upton, New York, home he shared with his adoptive parents, Ernest Franklin, 35, and Heather Franklin, 33, who are now charged in his death.
An investigation after the fire revealed that Jeffrey, a special needs child who was deaf, did not have smoke or soot in his mouth,...
- 4/12/2017
- by KC Baker
- PEOPLE.com
By Jeremy Carr
It’s easy to see why Orson Welles’ Chimes at Midnight is generally regarded as his finest post-Touch of Evil achievement. This Shakespearean mélange is a dazzling showcase for Welles’ ingenuity, his evident appreciation for the film’s literary foundation, and his relentless aptitude for stylistic inventiveness. However, its haphazard production and its rocky release comprise a backstory as complicated as the movie’s multi-source construction (the script, based on the lengthy play “Five Kings,” written and first performed by Welles in the 1930s, samples scenes and dialogue from at least five of Shakespeare’s works, primarily “Henry IV,” parts one and two, “Richard II,” “Henry V,” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor”). Plagued by what were at this point familiar budgetary constraints, Welles shot Chimes at Midnight over the course of about seven months in Spain, with a break when the financial well went dry.
It’s easy to see why Orson Welles’ Chimes at Midnight is generally regarded as his finest post-Touch of Evil achievement. This Shakespearean mélange is a dazzling showcase for Welles’ ingenuity, his evident appreciation for the film’s literary foundation, and his relentless aptitude for stylistic inventiveness. However, its haphazard production and its rocky release comprise a backstory as complicated as the movie’s multi-source construction (the script, based on the lengthy play “Five Kings,” written and first performed by Welles in the 1930s, samples scenes and dialogue from at least five of Shakespeare’s works, primarily “Henry IV,” parts one and two, “Richard II,” “Henry V,” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor”). Plagued by what were at this point familiar budgetary constraints, Welles shot Chimes at Midnight over the course of about seven months in Spain, with a break when the financial well went dry.
- 4/8/2017
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Fans that lament Orson Welles' many career frustrations will flip over this Spanish-filmed masterpiece. Not well distributed when new and Mia for decades, its serious audio problems have now mostly been cleared up. It's great -- right up there with Kane and Touch of Evil, and it features what is probably Welles' best acting. Chimes at Midnight Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 830 1966 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 116 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Falstaff, Campanadas a medianoche / Street Date August 30, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud, Norman Rodway, Marina Vlady, Walter Chiari, Michael Aldridge, Tony Beckley, Alan Webb, José Nieto, Fernando Rey, Beatrice Welles, Ralph Richardson. Cinematography Edmond Richard Film Editor Fritz Mueller Original Music Angelo Francesco Lavagnino Produced by Alessandro Tasca Directed by Orson Welles
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
It's even better than I remembered. Sometime during film school I went with UCLA friends Clark...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
It's even better than I remembered. Sometime during film school I went with UCLA friends Clark...
- 8/26/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Karina Longworth's marvelous podcast, You Must Remember This, returns from a summer break with a new series on Joan Crawford. The first episode (44'18") focuses on the young Lucille LeSueur and swerves off on an entertaining detour for background on Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. More listening: Werner Herzog is impressed by Kanye West's Famous; Joseph McBride discusses Charles Chaplin's City Lights; Sam Fragoso talks with Ira Sachs about Little Men and more; White Reindeer director Zach Clark talks with John Waters about Multiple Maniacs, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Justin Bieber and Terrence Malick; and the latest edition of Illusion Travels By Streetcar is about "The Madness of Busby Berkeley." » - David Hudson...
- 8/15/2016
- Keyframe
Karina Longworth's marvelous podcast, You Must Remember This, returns from a summer break with a new series on Joan Crawford. The first episode (44'18") focuses on the young Lucille LeSueur and swerves off on an entertaining detour for background on Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. More listening: Werner Herzog is impressed by Kanye West's Famous; Joseph McBride discusses Charles Chaplin's City Lights; Sam Fragoso talks with Ira Sachs about Little Men and more; White Reindeer director Zach Clark talks with John Waters about Multiple Maniacs, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Justin Bieber and Terrence Malick; and the latest edition of Illusion Travels By Streetcar is about "The Madness of Busby Berkeley." » - David Hudson...
- 8/15/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
What's this? John Ford's last silent western is as exciting and entertaining as his later classics. A trio of horse thieves turn noble when given the responsibility of a young woman lost on the prairie; Ford gives the show comedy, drama and spectacle. 3 Bad Men Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1926 / B&W / 1:33 Silent Ap. / 92 min. / Street Date August 23, 2016 / 29.95 Starring George O'Brien, Olive Borden, Lou Tellegen, Tom Santschi, J. Farrell MacDonald, Frank Campeau, Priscilla Bonner, Otis Harlan, Phyllis Haver, Georgie Harris, Alec Francis, Jay Hunt . Cinematography George Schneiderman Original Music Dana Kaproff (2007) Written by John Stone, Ralph Spence, Malcolm Stuart Boylan from a novel by Herman Whittaker Produced and Directed by John Ford
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What a great discovery! Last year Kino brought us a good-looking disc of John Ford's Hurricane and now they take the bold step of issuing one of the director's oldest intact features,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What a great discovery! Last year Kino brought us a good-looking disc of John Ford's Hurricane and now they take the bold step of issuing one of the director's oldest intact features,...
- 7/17/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Of the Big Three new wavers of German cinema—Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders-- who “came of age” as it were in the ‘70s, when I was in college and my own stake in the movies was budding into something more learned and substantial than what it was when I first discovered my love for them, Herzog has emerged as the director who most speaks to me now as an adult. I think that’s true at least in part because when his movies do speak to me it never feels like a one-sided conversation. I feel like I’m in there engaging in a push-pull with Herzog’s ability to seduce me (disarm me?) with his simplicity of approach, an ability which rarely seems satisfied to consider subjects from the less-perverse of two perspectives, and his tendency to rhapsodize and harangue and sidestep visual motifs...
- 12/19/2015
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
John Ford and Samuel Goldwyn's South Seas disaster picture can boast spectacular action and compelling romance. The unjustly imprisoned Jon Hall crosses half an ocean to rejoin his beloved Dorothy Lamour under The Moon of Manakoora, before an incredible (and incredibly expensive) hurricane blows the island to smithereens. Ford's direction is flawless, as are the screenplay by Dudley Nichols and the Hollywood-exotic music score by Alfred Newman. The Hurricane Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1937 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 110 min. / Street Date November 24, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond Massey, John Carradine, Jerome Cowan, Al Kikume, Kuulei De Clercq, Layne Tom Jr., Mamo Clark, Movita, Inez Courtney, Chris-Pin Martin. Cinematography Bert Glennon Film Editor Lloyd Nosler Special Effects James Basevi, Ray Binger, R.T. Layton, Lee Zavitz Original Music Alfred Newman Written by Dudley Nichols, Oliver H.P. Garrett from the...
- 11/24/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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