Note: This article discusses sexual misconduct and abuse.
As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.
It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.
As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.
It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.
- 5/17/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Mike Nichols Made His Movie Directorial Debut with ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ — and Got Fired
Everyone involved with the film adaptation of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” had a lot riding on its success. For star Elizabeth Taylor, this was perhaps her first chance to prove that she could act (certainly the middle-aged Martha was the most demanding role she had ever had). For first-time producer Ernest Lehman, the movie could make or break him as he moved away from writing classics like “North by Northwest” and “Sweet Smell of Success.” And for director Mike Nichols, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” his feature film directorial debut, would either burnish his growing reputation as a boy genius after several smash Broadway hits or prove that he was out of his depth.
The impetus to play things safe must have been strong, and yet none of the film’s major players shied away from choosing the riskier paths. Filming in black-and-white in 1966 was not the indicator of...
The impetus to play things safe must have been strong, and yet none of the film’s major players shied away from choosing the riskier paths. Filming in black-and-white in 1966 was not the indicator of...
- 2/13/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Lawrence Turman, producer of films including Oscar winner “The Graduate,” and longtime chair of the Peter Stark Producing program at USC, died Saturday at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills. He was 96.
Turman’s producing career spanned 50 years, and he served as director of USC’s Peter Stark Producing program from 1991 until he retired in 2021 at age 94.
Born in Los Angeles in 1926, Turman graduated from UCLA and broke into the industry after answering an ad in Variety to work at the Kurt Frings agency. He represented actors, and after getting a meeting with Alfred Hitchcock through their friend Ernest Lehman, he was able to book four of his agency’s clients in “North By Northwest.”
Turman moved into producing, working on films including Judy Garland’s last film “I Could Go On Singing,” “The Best Man,” “The Great White Hope” and “Pretty Poison.”
After finding Charles Webb’s book “The Graduate,...
Turman’s producing career spanned 50 years, and he served as director of USC’s Peter Stark Producing program from 1991 until he retired in 2021 at age 94.
Born in Los Angeles in 1926, Turman graduated from UCLA and broke into the industry after answering an ad in Variety to work at the Kurt Frings agency. He represented actors, and after getting a meeting with Alfred Hitchcock through their friend Ernest Lehman, he was able to book four of his agency’s clients in “North By Northwest.”
Turman moved into producing, working on films including Judy Garland’s last film “I Could Go On Singing,” “The Best Man,” “The Great White Hope” and “Pretty Poison.”
After finding Charles Webb’s book “The Graduate,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Betty Gilpin in Mrs. Davis (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/Peacock) Background: Sally Field in The Flying Nun (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images), Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act (Afro Newspaper/Gado/Contributor), Black Narcissus (John Kobal Foundation/Contributor), Siobahn McSweeney in Derry Girls (Netflix...
- 5/18/2023
- by Drew Gillis
- avclub.com
An actor doesn't have to like a script to perform it. As detailed by Turner Classic Movies, while shooting "North by Northwest," Alfred Hitchcock used this to the picture's advantage. Both he and screenwriter Ernest Lehman had Cary Grant as their first choice for the film's lead Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue ad man mistaken for the spy George Kaplan. Roger stumbles his way into heroism, ultimately thwarting a Soviet spy ring run by Phillip Vandamm (James Mason). Only someone as simultaneously dashing and comic as Grant could correctly pull off the part.
Hitchcock and Lehman obviously got their wish, but Grant didn't have confidence in the project they did. During production, Grant vented to Hitchcock, "It's a terrible script. We've already done a third of the picture and I still can't make head or tail of it." Per TCM, Hitchcock was "amused" by this comment; Grant was confused by...
Hitchcock and Lehman obviously got their wish, but Grant didn't have confidence in the project they did. During production, Grant vented to Hitchcock, "It's a terrible script. We've already done a third of the picture and I still can't make head or tail of it." Per TCM, Hitchcock was "amused" by this comment; Grant was confused by...
- 2/26/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
As Time notes, the title of Alfred Hitchcock's spy thriller, "North by Northwest," seems to be a reference to flying north on Northwest Airlines, which we see Cary Grant's protagonist and mistaken identity victim, Roger Thornhill, do as he leaves Chicago for South Dakota's Mount Rushmore National Memorial toward the end of the movie. There's a much more famous scene involving Grant and a plane in "North by Northwest," of course, but while Hitchcock and screenwriter Ernest Lehman were brainstorming for that scene, the movie itself almost flew right off course.
In a 2000 interview with the journal Creative Screenwriting, Lehman explained how the classic scene of Grant's character running across an open field in the middle of nowhere with a plane chasing him from behind first came together. Hitchcock spoke elsewhere about how he wanted to upend cliches by putting his protagonist in peril in "the loneliest, emptiest...
In a 2000 interview with the journal Creative Screenwriting, Lehman explained how the classic scene of Grant's character running across an open field in the middle of nowhere with a plane chasing him from behind first came together. Hitchcock spoke elsewhere about how he wanted to upend cliches by putting his protagonist in peril in "the loneliest, emptiest...
- 10/16/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Nestled between the heartsick duplicities of "Vertigo" and the urgent duality of "Psycho" sits one of Alfred Hitchcock's most celebrated action thrillers, a story swirling in vanishing identities and betrayal. "North by Northwest" is the English director's 1959 spy film with an Oscar-nominated screenplay written by "Hello Dolly!" scribe Ernest Lehman, and it concerns an innocent man (Cary Grant) hounded by international saboteurs in a case of mistaken identity. Filled with common Hitchcock situations while staying unpredictable, the movie has found incredible lasting power beyond the Cold War years it's set in.
Above all, the "Psycho" director wanted to disrupt the common approach of action pictures, which often positioned the hapless hero in predictable moments. In the 2014 collection of writings and interviews, "Hitchcock on Hitchcock," the filmmaker describes the "rain-washed cobbles shining in the night" where these spectacles are usually set; a figure peeks from the shadows, a black limo...
Above all, the "Psycho" director wanted to disrupt the common approach of action pictures, which often positioned the hapless hero in predictable moments. In the 2014 collection of writings and interviews, "Hitchcock on Hitchcock," the filmmaker describes the "rain-washed cobbles shining in the night" where these spectacles are usually set; a figure peeks from the shadows, a black limo...
- 8/15/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Edward Albee's 1962 play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is one of the sweatiest, most resentful, least pleasant stories about marriage ever seen on a stage. In 1966, director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Ernest Lehman adapted the play into one of the sweatiest, most resentful, least pleasant stories about marriage ever seen on a screen. "Woolf" is a hothouse of wrath and anger designed to make an audience shift uncomfortably in their seats, mentally taking notes as to what they definitely don't want to talk about after the movie is over. Naturally, the film was...
The post Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Struggled To Keep Its Stars On Set appeared first on /Film.
The post Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Struggled To Keep Its Stars On Set appeared first on /Film.
- 7/15/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Many of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films were adapted from literature, either beginning as novels or short stories ("Rear Window" was based on Cornell Woolrich's "It Has To Be Murder.") Proving that the book isn't always better than the movie, Hitchcock's adaptations have weathered the test of time much better than their source material.
However, one of the director's foremost classics was also an original: "North By Northwest." Plotted by Hitchcock in collaboration with screenwriter Ernest Lehman, "North by Northwest" is the director at his most unfiltered. It has an ordinary man swept up in intrigue,...
The post It Took Some Trickery From Alfred Hitchcock To Get North By Northwest Made appeared first on /Film.
However, one of the director's foremost classics was also an original: "North By Northwest." Plotted by Hitchcock in collaboration with screenwriter Ernest Lehman, "North by Northwest" is the director at his most unfiltered. It has an ordinary man swept up in intrigue,...
The post It Took Some Trickery From Alfred Hitchcock To Get North By Northwest Made appeared first on /Film.
- 4/25/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Screenwriter Jeb Stuart joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Die Hard (1988)
The Fugitive (1993)
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Detective (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dirty Harry (1971) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Rear Window (1954) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
North By Northwest (1959)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Switchback (1997)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Getaway (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
The Thin Man (1934)
Another 48 Hrs (1990)
Commando (1985) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Long Riders (1980)
The Warriors...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Die Hard (1988)
The Fugitive (1993)
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Detective (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dirty Harry (1971) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Rear Window (1954) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
North By Northwest (1959)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Switchback (1997)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Getaway (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
The Thin Man (1934)
Another 48 Hrs (1990)
Commando (1985) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Long Riders (1980)
The Warriors...
- 3/8/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The president of a sprawling business empire has just died and an all-star back-stabbing party is being held by the surviving members—each one aiming for a shot at the crown. Directed by Robert Wise, the film stars a who’s who of Hollywood including William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, and Fredric March. Nominated for several Oscars, screenwriter Ernest Lehman took home the Writer’s Guild Award.
The post Executive Suite appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Executive Suite appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 2/4/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
A man wrongly accused and on the run. A beautiful blonde woman with secrets. A cross-country suspense-filled adventure that brought the two together in a way that just barely escaped the censorship board of '50s America. These were the ingredients of a classic Hitchcock film. And in 1959, they were perfected. Shortly after the release of more psychologically intense films like 1956's "The Wrong Man" and 1958's "Vertigo," Hitchcock longed for something lighter. While collaborating with writer Ernest Lehman on a different project, the two realized they could create "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures."Hitchcock and Lehman brainstormed possible setpieces before anything else: a...
The post North by Northwest Ending Explained: The Ultimate Hitchcock Picture appeared first on /Film.
The post North by Northwest Ending Explained: The Ultimate Hitchcock Picture appeared first on /Film.
- 1/25/2022
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
The fight is over before it begins. Steven Spielberg makes that much obvious in the opening shot of his West Side Story. From the picture’s first frame, the Upper West Side occupied by the sound and fury of the Sharks and Jets has been lost. How can it not be when audiences are immediately introduced to a collapsed and dilapidated building? Fire traps and abandoned slums which would look at home in one of Spielberg’s World War II movies are the spoils of gang warfare in this soulful reimagining of the Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim musical. The neighborhood’s a corpse that’s already decomposed, and upon this rot, the last of the flies do battle.
It’s a striking departure from the youthful exuberance that opens the previous (and iconic) West Side Story movie of 60 years ago. But perhaps that’s why Spielberg, a filmmaker who...
It’s a striking departure from the youthful exuberance that opens the previous (and iconic) West Side Story movie of 60 years ago. But perhaps that’s why Spielberg, a filmmaker who...
- 12/2/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Legendary screenwriter and director Shane Black discusses some of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
High and Low (1963)
Hard Times (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Beguiled (1971) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Kino Lorber Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s Twilight Time Blu-ray review
Convoy (1978) – Dennis Cozzalio’s review
8 Heads In A Duffel Bag (1997)
Diner (1982)
The Bodyguard (1992)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Fist of Fury a.k.a. The Chinese Connection (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
High and Low (1963)
Hard Times (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Beguiled (1971) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Kino Lorber Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s Twilight Time Blu-ray review
Convoy (1978) – Dennis Cozzalio’s review
8 Heads In A Duffel Bag (1997)
Diner (1982)
The Bodyguard (1992)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Fist of Fury a.k.a. The Chinese Connection (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary...
- 8/10/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
John Frankenheimer’s biggest production since Grand Prix turns the touchy subject of international terrorism into a frightening, outlandish story of a plot to kill thousands of spectators during one of America’s defining rituals, the Super Bowl. Black September operative Marthe Keller seduces disturbed Viet vet Bruce Dern into perpetrating the crime; Israeli agent Robert Shaw races to stop them. The super-crime is both outrageous and credible — making the show seem very modern, even prophetic. True to form, Frankenheimer filmed much of the movie’s final 40-minute suspense sequence during a real Super Bowl game.
Black Sunday
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 34
1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / Available from Viavision / 34.95 au
Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Bekim Fehmiu, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats, Michael V. Gazzo, William Daniels, Walter Gotell.
Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Film Editor: Tom Rolf
Original Music: John Williams
Written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross, Ivan Moffat...
Black Sunday
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 34
1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / Available from Viavision / 34.95 au
Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Bekim Fehmiu, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats, Michael V. Gazzo, William Daniels, Walter Gotell.
Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Film Editor: Tom Rolf
Original Music: John Williams
Written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross, Ivan Moffat...
- 4/10/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Legendary theatrical director George C. Wolfe launched his screen career with adaptations of plays for PBS series like “Great Performances” and “American Playhouse,” and he brings that same politely reverential energy to August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” But even if this version never shakes off its stage roots, it does act as a stately jewel box that houses an extraordinary ensemble of performances.
Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman get the meatiest roles here — and make the most of absolutely every second they’re on camera — but this Netflix feature is just as much a showcase for the talents of the always-brilliant Colman Domingo and the legendary Glynn Turman. Wolfe not only guides his top-flight cast to greatness, but he also keeps the plays themes of art vs. commerce and representation vs. exploitation front and center.
It’s 1927 Chicago, and legendary blues singer Ma Rainey (Davis) and...
Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman get the meatiest roles here — and make the most of absolutely every second they’re on camera — but this Netflix feature is just as much a showcase for the talents of the always-brilliant Colman Domingo and the legendary Glynn Turman. Wolfe not only guides his top-flight cast to greatness, but he also keeps the plays themes of art vs. commerce and representation vs. exploitation front and center.
It’s 1927 Chicago, and legendary blues singer Ma Rainey (Davis) and...
- 11/20/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“A Love Story… Not!”
By Raymond Benson
There’s no question that the 1966 film adaptation of Edward Albee’s 1962 Tony-winning play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, is one of the most important and influential motion pictures of the 1960s. It not only showcased four superlative acting performances, a jaw-dropping impressive directorial debut (by Mike Nichols), brilliant black and white cinematography and editing, but it also changed the Hollywood movie industry.
By the mid-60s, the archaic Production Code, which had been in force since July 1934, was in its death throes. When Otto Preminger began releasing titles in the 1950s without the Production Code Seal of Approval, he proved to the powers-that-be that the Code was not infallible. Then along came such fare as Psycho, Lolita, and The Pawnbroker in the early 60s, and it was clear that the American public wanted to see more “adult” pictures.
“A Love Story… Not!”
By Raymond Benson
There’s no question that the 1966 film adaptation of Edward Albee’s 1962 Tony-winning play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, is one of the most important and influential motion pictures of the 1960s. It not only showcased four superlative acting performances, a jaw-dropping impressive directorial debut (by Mike Nichols), brilliant black and white cinematography and editing, but it also changed the Hollywood movie industry.
By the mid-60s, the archaic Production Code, which had been in force since July 1934, was in its death throes. When Otto Preminger began releasing titles in the 1950s without the Production Code Seal of Approval, he proved to the powers-that-be that the Code was not infallible. Then along came such fare as Psycho, Lolita, and The Pawnbroker in the early 60s, and it was clear that the American public wanted to see more “adult” pictures.
- 7/2/2020
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
A group of young, scrappy and brilliant writers penned some of the most accomplished dramas presented live during the Golden Age of TV in the 1950s. Writers such as Paddy Chayefsky, J.P. Miller (“The Days of Wine and Roses”), Reginald Rose (“Twelve Angry Men”), Tad Mosel (“The Haven”), James Costigan (“Little Moon of Alban”) and Horton Foote.
But the most influential and best-known of these writers was Rod Serling, who became a superstar as not only creator and writer but host of the landmark 1959-1964 CBS sci-fi/fantasy anthology series “The Twilight Zone,” for which he won two Emmys for his writing. “The Twilight Zone” and even his less successful 1970-73 NBC anthology series “Night Gallery” has overshadowed his earlier work for which he won three Emmys for his writing.
Among his earliest work was the 1953 “Kraft Television Theatre” presentation “A Long Time Till Dawn,” which gave a 22-year-old James Dean...
But the most influential and best-known of these writers was Rod Serling, who became a superstar as not only creator and writer but host of the landmark 1959-1964 CBS sci-fi/fantasy anthology series “The Twilight Zone,” for which he won two Emmys for his writing. “The Twilight Zone” and even his less successful 1970-73 NBC anthology series “Night Gallery” has overshadowed his earlier work for which he won three Emmys for his writing.
Among his earliest work was the 1953 “Kraft Television Theatre” presentation “A Long Time Till Dawn,” which gave a 22-year-old James Dean...
- 6/4/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The Oscar
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1966/ 1:66:1 / 120 min.
Starring Stephen Boyd, Tony Bennett, Elke Sommer
Written by Harlan Ellison
Directed by Russell Rouse
Alexander Mackendrick’s Sweet Smell of Success is a great movie with two career-best performances from Burt Lancaster as a malignant gossip columnist named J. J. Hunsecker and Tony Curtis as press agent Sidney Falco – “a real louse.” The third star of the show is surely the screenplay by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets – a lyrical pastiche of streetwise slang that sizzles like “a pocketful of firecrackers.”
Hunsecker – What’s this boy got that Susie likes?
Falco – Integrity – acute, like indigestion.
Hunsecker – I’d hate to take a bite outta you. You’re a cookie full of arsenic.
And so on. Mackendrick’s Broadway melodrama is a tale of bright lights and the big city so some hyperbole is expected. But Lehman and Odets were performing...
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1966/ 1:66:1 / 120 min.
Starring Stephen Boyd, Tony Bennett, Elke Sommer
Written by Harlan Ellison
Directed by Russell Rouse
Alexander Mackendrick’s Sweet Smell of Success is a great movie with two career-best performances from Burt Lancaster as a malignant gossip columnist named J. J. Hunsecker and Tony Curtis as press agent Sidney Falco – “a real louse.” The third star of the show is surely the screenplay by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets – a lyrical pastiche of streetwise slang that sizzles like “a pocketful of firecrackers.”
Hunsecker – What’s this boy got that Susie likes?
Falco – Integrity – acute, like indigestion.
Hunsecker – I’d hate to take a bite outta you. You’re a cookie full of arsenic.
And so on. Mackendrick’s Broadway melodrama is a tale of bright lights and the big city so some hyperbole is expected. But Lehman and Odets were performing...
- 1/25/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Although Alfred Hitchcock was working with Ernest Lehman on the script for a project titled The Short Night at the time of Hitch’s death, this light-hearted suspense thriller proved to be his final outing. In retrospect it’s not viewed as equal to his best efforts, but he was 77 when he made it and it’s actually a bit hipper than the preceding Topaz and Torn Curtain.
The post Family Plot appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Family Plot appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 12/6/2019
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Mark Allison Jul 11, 2019
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Hitchcock's spy thriller, we look at how the classic actioner set the template for a new kind of movie.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Alfred Hitchcock was never content with mastering a single genre. Having spent the 1950s perfecting the murder mystery (Rear Window), crime drama (To Catch a Thief), and psychological thriller (Vertigo), the master of suspense ended the decade by turning his lens to the world of spies and statecraft.
Now 60 years on from its premiere in Chicago, North by Northwest remains the perfect espionage thriller, providing the template for James Bond, Ethan Hunt, and six decades of imitators.
Eschewing the slow-burn suspense and hushed atmosphere of Hitchcock's earlier spy thrillers like The 39 Steps (1935) and Saboteur (1942), North by Northwest pioneered a new breed of action cinema rooted in larger-than-life adventure and momentous setpieces. Indeed, the...
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Hitchcock's spy thriller, we look at how the classic actioner set the template for a new kind of movie.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Alfred Hitchcock was never content with mastering a single genre. Having spent the 1950s perfecting the murder mystery (Rear Window), crime drama (To Catch a Thief), and psychological thriller (Vertigo), the master of suspense ended the decade by turning his lens to the world of spies and statecraft.
Now 60 years on from its premiere in Chicago, North by Northwest remains the perfect espionage thriller, providing the template for James Bond, Ethan Hunt, and six decades of imitators.
Eschewing the slow-burn suspense and hushed atmosphere of Hitchcock's earlier spy thrillers like The 39 Steps (1935) and Saboteur (1942), North by Northwest pioneered a new breed of action cinema rooted in larger-than-life adventure and momentous setpieces. Indeed, the...
- 7/11/2019
- Den of Geek
Paul Newman in The Prize is currently available on Blu-ray From Warner Archive. Ordering information can be found Here
After unexpectedly winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, closet crime novelist Andrew Craig (Paul Newman) finds himself in Sweden to accept the award but is swept up into Cold War intrigue.More comfortable at the bar than at the abacus, affable souse Craig nonetheless sniffs a whiff of wrongdoing when Dr. Max Stratman (Edward G. Robinson), winner of the Physics prize, undergoes a mysterious personality change. A truly Hitchcockian thriller, with a screenplay penned by North by Northwest scribe Ernest Lehman, The Prize comes with fully realized characters, sweeping surprises and danger-filled denouement – not to mention the always delightful Elke Sommer and a masterful score by Jerry Goldsmith! This sweeping saga of espionage and suspense reveals a multitude of hidden delights on this pristine baby blue transfer in high definition.
Top writers,...
After unexpectedly winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, closet crime novelist Andrew Craig (Paul Newman) finds himself in Sweden to accept the award but is swept up into Cold War intrigue.More comfortable at the bar than at the abacus, affable souse Craig nonetheless sniffs a whiff of wrongdoing when Dr. Max Stratman (Edward G. Robinson), winner of the Physics prize, undergoes a mysterious personality change. A truly Hitchcockian thriller, with a screenplay penned by North by Northwest scribe Ernest Lehman, The Prize comes with fully realized characters, sweeping surprises and danger-filled denouement – not to mention the always delightful Elke Sommer and a masterful score by Jerry Goldsmith! This sweeping saga of espionage and suspense reveals a multitude of hidden delights on this pristine baby blue transfer in high definition.
Top writers,...
- 1/18/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Already eclipsed by James Bond and sexier European films, Paul Newman does his best to energize this derivative but lively spy-chase thriller set during Nobel season, in a Stockholm populated by the glamorous Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle and Jacqueline Beer. Toss several Hitchcock pictures into a blender, and what comes out is reasonably engaging… and more than a little dated.
The Prize
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 134 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle, Gérard Oury, Sergio Fantoni, Kevin McCarthy, Leo G. Carroll, Sacha Pitoëff, Jacqueline Beer, John Wengraf, Don Dubbin, Virginia Christine, Rudolph Anders, Martine Bartlett, Karl Swenson, John Qualen, John Banner, Teru Shimada, Albert Carrier, Jerry Dunphy, Britt Ekland, Gergory Gaye, Anna Lee, Gregg Palmer, Gene Roth, Ivan Triesault.
Cinematography: William H. Daniels
Film Editor: Adrienne Fazan
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith...
The Prize
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 134 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle, Gérard Oury, Sergio Fantoni, Kevin McCarthy, Leo G. Carroll, Sacha Pitoëff, Jacqueline Beer, John Wengraf, Don Dubbin, Virginia Christine, Rudolph Anders, Martine Bartlett, Karl Swenson, John Qualen, John Banner, Teru Shimada, Albert Carrier, Jerry Dunphy, Britt Ekland, Gergory Gaye, Anna Lee, Gregg Palmer, Gene Roth, Ivan Triesault.
Cinematography: William H. Daniels
Film Editor: Adrienne Fazan
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith...
- 1/12/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.
From Helena Howard in “Madeline’s Madeline” to almost the whole cast in “Skate Kitchen,” this summer has been rife with unforgettable debut performances from movie stars in the making. With that in mind, we asked our panel of critics to name the greatest film debuts of all time.
Ethan Warren (@ethanrawarren), Bright Wall/Dark Room
Out of any question I’ve been posed for this survey, this one provoked the most agony in narrowing it down to just one. But with my back to the wall, I have to go with a performance so towering, so iconic that it’s sort of flabbergasting to remember it’s a feature film debut: Julie Andrews in “Mary Poppins.” She’d been starring on Broadway for a decade, but being good onstage is no...
From Helena Howard in “Madeline’s Madeline” to almost the whole cast in “Skate Kitchen,” this summer has been rife with unforgettable debut performances from movie stars in the making. With that in mind, we asked our panel of critics to name the greatest film debuts of all time.
Ethan Warren (@ethanrawarren), Bright Wall/Dark Room
Out of any question I’ve been posed for this survey, this one provoked the most agony in narrowing it down to just one. But with my back to the wall, I have to go with a performance so towering, so iconic that it’s sort of flabbergasting to remember it’s a feature film debut: Julie Andrews in “Mary Poppins.” She’d been starring on Broadway for a decade, but being good onstage is no...
- 8/13/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Hitchcock classic North by Northwest is back in Cineplex theatres for a limited time only!Hitchcock classic North by Northwest is back in Cineplex theatres for a limited time only!Ingrid Randoja - Cineplex Magazine8/14/2017 12:32:00 Pm
Director Alfred Hitchcock wanted to make a movie that included a chase scene across Mount Rushmore that culminates with a man, hiding inside Abraham Lincoln’s nose, being discovered when he sneezes.
The sneezing idea was silly but the chase along the famed stone monument was intriguing to writer Ernest Lehman, who was assigned by MGM to write a screenplay for Hitchcock.
The result is the 1959 classic North by Northwest, which sees debonair ad executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) go on the run when he’s mistaken for a murdering spy. Hitchcock strings together one suspenseful scene after another that puts Grant in peril — he drunkenly drives along a cliff, he’s...
Director Alfred Hitchcock wanted to make a movie that included a chase scene across Mount Rushmore that culminates with a man, hiding inside Abraham Lincoln’s nose, being discovered when he sneezes.
The sneezing idea was silly but the chase along the famed stone monument was intriguing to writer Ernest Lehman, who was assigned by MGM to write a screenplay for Hitchcock.
The result is the 1959 classic North by Northwest, which sees debonair ad executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) go on the run when he’s mistaken for a murdering spy. Hitchcock strings together one suspenseful scene after another that puts Grant in peril — he drunkenly drives along a cliff, he’s...
- 8/14/2017
- by Ingrid Randoja - Cineplex Magazine
- Cineplex
Charles Bronson plays a real-life Mafiosi in a period picture with a fine script, some good performances and a production so sloppy that the whole thing could be called The Anachronism Papers. Joseph Wiseman and Lino Ventura bring additional tough-guy star-power, and Bronson actually commits himself to the role — quite a change of pace for one of his later pictures.
The Valachi Papers
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date June 13, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Charles Bronson, Lino Ventura, Jill Ireland, Walter Chiari, Joseph Wiseman, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Amedeo Nazzari, Fausto Tozzi, Pupella Maggio, Angelo Infanti, Guido Leontini.
Cinematography: Aldo Tonti
Film Editor: Johnny Dwyre, Monica Finzi
Original Music: Riz Ortolani, Armando Trovajoli
Written by Stephen Geller from the novel by Peter Maas
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Roger Duchet
Directed by Terence Young
In 2001 I received the plum assignment of editing a...
The Valachi Papers
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date June 13, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Charles Bronson, Lino Ventura, Jill Ireland, Walter Chiari, Joseph Wiseman, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Amedeo Nazzari, Fausto Tozzi, Pupella Maggio, Angelo Infanti, Guido Leontini.
Cinematography: Aldo Tonti
Film Editor: Johnny Dwyre, Monica Finzi
Original Music: Riz Ortolani, Armando Trovajoli
Written by Stephen Geller from the novel by Peter Maas
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Roger Duchet
Directed by Terence Young
In 2001 I received the plum assignment of editing a...
- 7/15/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Turner Classic Movies' 2017 Gay Pride film series comes to a close this evening and tomorrow morning, Thursday–Friday, June 29–30, with the presentation of seven movies, hosted by TV interviewer Dave Karger and author William J. Mann, whose books include Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines and Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969. Among tonight's movies' Lgbt connections: Edward Albee, Tony Richardson, Evelyn Waugh, Tab Hunter, John Gielgud, Roddy McDowall, Linda Hunt, Harvey Fierstein, Rudolf Nureyev, Christopher Isherwood, Joel Grey, and Tommy Kirk. Update: Coincidentally, TCM's final 2017 Gay Pride celebration turned out to be held the evening before a couple of international events – and one non-event – demonstrated that despite noticeable progress in the last three decades, gay rights, even in the so-called “West,” still have a long way to go. In Texas, the state's – all-Republican – Supreme Court decided that married gays should be treated as separate and unequal. In...
- 6/30/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Not so fast Savant — with the help of correspondent input, DVD Savant presents more information on David Swift’s adaptation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — correcting and modifying some assumptions in my first review. Don’t worry — it’s good reading.
A Savant article
This is an odd circumstance. I routinely update, modify, correct and de-stupidify DVD Savant reviews, but this time I’m taking a more radical step. In my March 25 coverage of Twilight Time’s Blu-ray of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, I made a big point of the fact that David Swift’s film adaptation had not made many changes. Several songs were dropped, but that would seem the right thing to do considering that the movie wasn’t planned as a Road Show — it’s only 121 minutes in duration and has no break for an intermission. The much missed...
A Savant article
This is an odd circumstance. I routinely update, modify, correct and de-stupidify DVD Savant reviews, but this time I’m taking a more radical step. In my March 25 coverage of Twilight Time’s Blu-ray of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, I made a big point of the fact that David Swift’s film adaptation had not made many changes. Several songs were dropped, but that would seem the right thing to do considering that the movie wasn’t planned as a Road Show — it’s only 121 minutes in duration and has no break for an intermission. The much missed...
- 4/1/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When you think about the Writers Guild of America, which hosted two award ceremonies on Sunday night in two Blue cities, New York and Los Angeles, it’s no surprise that the writers spoke out. (Check out videos of some of the best bits below.)
For example, while accepting his life achievement award, filmmaker Oliver Stone got two standing ovations. After conservative James Woods was targeted at the top of the evening by WGA West Awards show host Patton Oswalt, retaliating by going onstage to steal his shoe, Woods presented the WGA award to the ultra liberal Stone, who starred him in “Salvador,” won three Oscars for “Midnight Express,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Platoon,” and penned “greed is good.”
Stone thanked mentors Robert Bolt and Ernest Lehman as well as Wma agent Ron Mardigian. He reminded that when he told Billy Wilder about his “Nixon” running time of 3 hours 10 minutes,...
For example, while accepting his life achievement award, filmmaker Oliver Stone got two standing ovations. After conservative James Woods was targeted at the top of the evening by WGA West Awards show host Patton Oswalt, retaliating by going onstage to steal his shoe, Woods presented the WGA award to the ultra liberal Stone, who starred him in “Salvador,” won three Oscars for “Midnight Express,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Platoon,” and penned “greed is good.”
Stone thanked mentors Robert Bolt and Ernest Lehman as well as Wma agent Ron Mardigian. He reminded that when he told Billy Wilder about his “Nixon” running time of 3 hours 10 minutes,...
- 2/20/2017
- by Anne Thompson and Kate Erbland
- Thompson on Hollywood
When you think about the Writers Guild of America, which hosted two award ceremonies on Sunday night in two Blue cities, New York and Los Angeles, it’s no surprise that the writers spoke out. (Check out videos of some of the best bits below.)
For example, while accepting his life achievement award, filmmaker Oliver Stone got two standing ovations. After conservative James Woods was targeted at the top of the evening by WGA West Awards show host Patton Oswalt, retaliating by going onstage to steal his shoe, Woods presented the WGA award to the ultra liberal Stone, who starred him in “Salvador,” won three Oscars for “Midnight Express,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Platoon,” and penned “greed is good.”
Stone thanked mentors Robert Bolt and Ernest Lehman as well as Wma agent Ron Mardigian. He reminded that when he told Billy Wilder about his “Nixon” running time of 3 hours 10 minutes,...
For example, while accepting his life achievement award, filmmaker Oliver Stone got two standing ovations. After conservative James Woods was targeted at the top of the evening by WGA West Awards show host Patton Oswalt, retaliating by going onstage to steal his shoe, Woods presented the WGA award to the ultra liberal Stone, who starred him in “Salvador,” won three Oscars for “Midnight Express,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Platoon,” and penned “greed is good.”
Stone thanked mentors Robert Bolt and Ernest Lehman as well as Wma agent Ron Mardigian. He reminded that when he told Billy Wilder about his “Nixon” running time of 3 hours 10 minutes,...
- 2/20/2017
- by Anne Thompson and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Philip Roth (Courtesy: Eric Thayer/Reuters
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
When it comes to acclaimed American authors, Philip Roth is right up there with the best of them—so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his work has been translated from page to screen numerous times and to varying degrees of success.
Over the years, seven of the novelist’s books have been adapted to the big screen—with two of them coming out in 2016 alone: Indignation and American Pastoral. Before that, though, there was Goodbye, Columbus, Portnoy’s Complaint, The Human Stain, Elegy (based on The Dying Animal), and The Humbling.
Goodbye, Columbus (1969)—which starred Ali MacGraw and Richard Benjamin—earned Arnold Schulman a nomination for best adapted screenplay and was generally well-received by critics and did quite well at the box office.
Portnoy’s Complaint (1972)—which was adapted by Ernest Lehman—didn’t fare that...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
When it comes to acclaimed American authors, Philip Roth is right up there with the best of them—so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his work has been translated from page to screen numerous times and to varying degrees of success.
Over the years, seven of the novelist’s books have been adapted to the big screen—with two of them coming out in 2016 alone: Indignation and American Pastoral. Before that, though, there was Goodbye, Columbus, Portnoy’s Complaint, The Human Stain, Elegy (based on The Dying Animal), and The Humbling.
Goodbye, Columbus (1969)—which starred Ali MacGraw and Richard Benjamin—earned Arnold Schulman a nomination for best adapted screenplay and was generally well-received by critics and did quite well at the box office.
Portnoy’s Complaint (1972)—which was adapted by Ernest Lehman—didn’t fare that...
- 10/29/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
“You are cordially invited to George and Martha’s for an evening of fun and games”
Who’S Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966) screens this Friday through Sunday (July 15th-17th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, Mo 63119). The film begins each evening at 8:00.
Director Mike Nichol’s Who’S Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? a famous and shocking black comedy from 1966, is based on Edward Albee’s scandalous play of the same name. First performed in New York in October of 1962, it captured the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Tony Award for the 1962-63 season.
We are introduced to George (Richard Burton), a middle-aged history professor, and his acerbic wife, Martha (Elizabeth Taylor).The movie presents an all-night drinking bout of the couple, joined by a vacuous biology professor, Nick (George Seagal), and his wife, Honey (Sandy Dennis).Through the verbal torturing of one another,...
Who’S Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966) screens this Friday through Sunday (July 15th-17th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, Mo 63119). The film begins each evening at 8:00.
Director Mike Nichol’s Who’S Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? a famous and shocking black comedy from 1966, is based on Edward Albee’s scandalous play of the same name. First performed in New York in October of 1962, it captured the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Tony Award for the 1962-63 season.
We are introduced to George (Richard Burton), a middle-aged history professor, and his acerbic wife, Martha (Elizabeth Taylor).The movie presents an all-night drinking bout of the couple, joined by a vacuous biology professor, Nick (George Seagal), and his wife, Honey (Sandy Dennis).Through the verbal torturing of one another,...
- 7/11/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Directed by Mike Nichols | Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the play by Edward Albee
Released by Warner Bros on June 22nd, 1966
Nominated for 13 Oscars, winning 5.
Four-Part 50th Anniversary Celebration
Pt 1 "What. A.Dump!" by Nathaniel R
Pt 2 "Firing Squads & Flop Sweat" by Daniel Crooke
Pt 3 "Get the Guests" by Kyle Stevens (author of "Mike Nichols: Sex, Language, and The Reinvention of Psychological Realism"
...and now the finale
Pt 4 (Finale) by Chris Feil
Clink.Clink.
1:36:43 Sounds like Martha put her own ice in her drink this time, and not chewed it down. She's also dispensed of her tight "Sunday chapel dress" for looser fits. At only 3 outfits, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is surely Elizabeth Taylor's fewest costume changes ever on screen.
1:37:32 Nick’s putting his watch on now that their real round of Hump the Hostess is over. By the looks of these two,...
Directed by Mike Nichols | Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the play by Edward Albee
Released by Warner Bros on June 22nd, 1966
Nominated for 13 Oscars, winning 5.
Four-Part 50th Anniversary Celebration
Pt 1 "What. A.Dump!" by Nathaniel R
Pt 2 "Firing Squads & Flop Sweat" by Daniel Crooke
Pt 3 "Get the Guests" by Kyle Stevens (author of "Mike Nichols: Sex, Language, and The Reinvention of Psychological Realism"
...and now the finale
Pt 4 (Finale) by Chris Feil
Clink.Clink.
1:36:43 Sounds like Martha put her own ice in her drink this time, and not chewed it down. She's also dispensed of her tight "Sunday chapel dress" for looser fits. At only 3 outfits, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is surely Elizabeth Taylor's fewest costume changes ever on screen.
1:37:32 Nick’s putting his watch on now that their real round of Hump the Hostess is over. By the looks of these two,...
- 6/24/2016
- by Chris Feil
- FilmExperience
You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games*
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Directed by Mike Nichols
Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the play by Edward Albee
Released by Warner Bros on June 22nd, 1966
Nominated for 13 Oscars, winning 5.
To celebrate the anniversary of this stone cold classic from 1966, Team Experience is revisiting the picture, tag team relay style, all week long as we did with Rebecca, Silence of the Lambs, and Thelma & Louise.
Pt 1 by Nathaniel R
50th Anniversary Four Part Mini Series
When I was a young teenager, a multiplex opened about a half hour from my house that, like every multiplex, showed whatever movies were in wide release. But here was something novel and unfortunately not copied by every multiplex in the land thereafter: they devoted one of their screens exclusively to charity -- the charity of young cinephilia that is.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Directed by Mike Nichols
Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the play by Edward Albee
Released by Warner Bros on June 22nd, 1966
Nominated for 13 Oscars, winning 5.
To celebrate the anniversary of this stone cold classic from 1966, Team Experience is revisiting the picture, tag team relay style, all week long as we did with Rebecca, Silence of the Lambs, and Thelma & Louise.
Pt 1 by Nathaniel R
50th Anniversary Four Part Mini Series
When I was a young teenager, a multiplex opened about a half hour from my house that, like every multiplex, showed whatever movies were in wide release. But here was something novel and unfortunately not copied by every multiplex in the land thereafter: they devoted one of their screens exclusively to charity -- the charity of young cinephilia that is.
- 6/21/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Stand back, watch the fur fly and don't forget to duck -- this is surely the most psychologically toxic play ever adapted for film. The legends Liz and Dick are terrific, and Mike Nichols conquers the screen in his first job of direction. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1966 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date May 3, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis. Cinematography Haskell Wexler Film Editor Sam O'Steen Original Music Alex North Written by Ernest Lehman from the play by Edward Albee Produced by Ernest Lehman Directed by Mike Nichols
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I remember what my reaction was, when I was younger, to movies adapted from plays: no matter how brilliant the dialogue, the thought of people standing around rooms talking was stultifying. Even for great epics and action pictures, I tended to go into a...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I remember what my reaction was, when I was younger, to movies adapted from plays: no matter how brilliant the dialogue, the thought of people standing around rooms talking was stultifying. Even for great epics and action pictures, I tended to go into a...
- 5/3/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This is as sexy as Hollywood pix got in 1960. John O'Hara's novel about class snobbery and the drive for success posits Paul Newman as a moody go-getter. In glossy soap opera fashion, his silver spoon-fed bride Joanne Woodward morphs into an unfaithful monster. Some adulterous relationships are excused and others not in this glossy, morally rigged melodrama. In other words, it's prime entertainment material. From the Terrace Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1960 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 144 min. / Ship Date January 19, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Myrna Loy, Ina Balin, Leon Ames, Elizabeth Allen, Barbara Eden, George Grizzard, Patrick O'Neal, Felix Aylmer. Cinematography Leo Tover Art Direction Maurice Ransford, Howard Richmond, Lyle R. Wheeler Film Editor Dorothy Spencer Original Music Elmer Bernstein Written by Ernest Lehman from the novel by John O'Hara Produced and directed by Mark Robson
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
1960 saw the release of...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
1960 saw the release of...
- 1/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Did you know that Orson Welles wrote a screenplay for Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness in 1939?
Welles not only wanted to to direct, but wanted to star as both Marlow and Kurtz. The screenplay was that bit too much for Rko Studios who shelved the project.
The story of course was used as the basis of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, which shifted the action to the Vietnam War and starred Martin Sheen as Marlow (renamed Willard) and Marlon Brando as Kurtz.
Welles's screenplay has been adapted into a radio play, with the action returning to the original 1890s setting.
It stars James McAvoy as Marlow, who reunites with his Macbeth theatre director Jamie Lloyd on the project.
Unmade Movies: Orson Welles' Heart of Darkness gets its first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on October 24.
The screenplay has been written by Lloyd with producer Laurence Bowen, with music by Ben and Max Ringham.
Welles not only wanted to to direct, but wanted to star as both Marlow and Kurtz. The screenplay was that bit too much for Rko Studios who shelved the project.
The story of course was used as the basis of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, which shifted the action to the Vietnam War and starred Martin Sheen as Marlow (renamed Willard) and Marlon Brando as Kurtz.
Welles's screenplay has been adapted into a radio play, with the action returning to the original 1890s setting.
It stars James McAvoy as Marlow, who reunites with his Macbeth theatre director Jamie Lloyd on the project.
Unmade Movies: Orson Welles' Heart of Darkness gets its first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on October 24.
The screenplay has been written by Lloyd with producer Laurence Bowen, with music by Ben and Max Ringham.
- 10/22/2015
- Digital Spy
For every script that Hollywood turns into a movie, there are so many more that go unmade... until now.
Radio 4 has unearthed a load of "lost" scripts from the likes of Arthur Miller, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and Harold Pinter, and adapted them for the radio.
James McAvoy will be taking on the role of Charles Marlow from Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness. The original film script was adapted by Orson Wells, but it was thought to be too extravagant at the time.
The Blind Man, by Ernest Lehman and Alfred Hitchcock, has been directed by Mark Gatiss who made a very interesting casting decision.
"And in The Blind Man, Mark Gatiss, who directs, decided to cast the Narrator as Alfred Hitchcock. So we asked Peter Serafinowicz to read it as him. He does an uncanny impression!" producer Laurence Bowen told Wired.
Hugh Laurie, David Suchet, Tim Pigott-Smith,...
Radio 4 has unearthed a load of "lost" scripts from the likes of Arthur Miller, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and Harold Pinter, and adapted them for the radio.
James McAvoy will be taking on the role of Charles Marlow from Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness. The original film script was adapted by Orson Wells, but it was thought to be too extravagant at the time.
The Blind Man, by Ernest Lehman and Alfred Hitchcock, has been directed by Mark Gatiss who made a very interesting casting decision.
"And in The Blind Man, Mark Gatiss, who directs, decided to cast the Narrator as Alfred Hitchcock. So we asked Peter Serafinowicz to read it as him. He does an uncanny impression!" producer Laurence Bowen told Wired.
Hugh Laurie, David Suchet, Tim Pigott-Smith,...
- 10/13/2015
- Digital Spy
Cinema’s Hidden Pearls – Part II
By Alex Simon
One of nature’s rarest items, a pearl is produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a clam, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. Truly flawless pearls are infrequently produced in nature, and as a result, the pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.
Hidden pearls exist in the world of movies, as well: films that, in spite of being brilliantly crafted and executed, never got the audience they deserved beyond a cult following.
Here are a few more of our favorite hidden pearls in the world of film:
1. Massacre at Central High (1976)
Dutch director, and former cameraman for the legendary Russ Meyer, Rene Daalder was hired by producers to direct an exploitation...
By Alex Simon
One of nature’s rarest items, a pearl is produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a clam, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. Truly flawless pearls are infrequently produced in nature, and as a result, the pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.
Hidden pearls exist in the world of movies, as well: films that, in spite of being brilliantly crafted and executed, never got the audience they deserved beyond a cult following.
Here are a few more of our favorite hidden pearls in the world of film:
1. Massacre at Central High (1976)
Dutch director, and former cameraman for the legendary Russ Meyer, Rene Daalder was hired by producers to direct an exploitation...
- 6/29/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Jeff Donnell, Sam Levene, Joe Frisco, Barbara Nichols, Emile Meyer, Edith Atwater | Written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman | Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
When it comes to Arrow and the releases they output I’ll always be a fan of the Arrow Video line because of my love of everything cult and horror. A close second though has to be their Arrow Academy range, whereas the name suggest they give more of an education based on films from the past which deserve our attention just as much as any modern movie does. Sweet Smell of Success is the latest release and gives an insight into one of the more unique Hollywood movies not only of its times in the fifties, but still remains just as good today.
When J.J. Hensecker (Burt Lancaster) a powerful New York newspaper columnist decides to come...
When it comes to Arrow and the releases they output I’ll always be a fan of the Arrow Video line because of my love of everything cult and horror. A close second though has to be their Arrow Academy range, whereas the name suggest they give more of an education based on films from the past which deserve our attention just as much as any modern movie does. Sweet Smell of Success is the latest release and gives an insight into one of the more unique Hollywood movies not only of its times in the fifties, but still remains just as good today.
When J.J. Hensecker (Burt Lancaster) a powerful New York newspaper columnist decides to come...
- 3/30/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
If I had to make a list of the ten film directors who I think most influenced my own standards of what filmmaking can be and should be, Mike Nichols would be on that list, if only for the first two films he made. And it may seem strange to say that I admire how he survived making those masterworks, but early success can destroy even the greatest talent because of the expectations it creates, and Nichols somehow managed it in a way that many other talented people have not. That is not to say that the rest of his work is not worth that kind of consideration and discussion. It's just that Nichols came out of the gate with two genuine, no-debate masterpieces, two films that crackle with life, two films that are so visually adept that they are humbling, two films packed with performances that go beyond good...
- 11/20/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Schamus, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and producer of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Brokeback Mountain," is set to make his feature-length directorial debut with his adaptation of Philip Roth's "Indignation." Per the press release: "Set in 1951, Indignation is the story of Marcus Messner, the idealistic son of a humble kosher butcher from Newark, New Jersey. Marcus leaves for Ohio to study at a small, conservative college, where he finds himself at odds with the administration, grapples with anti-Semitism and sexual repression, and pines after a troubled girl." Roth's licentious novels have proven notoriously difficult to translate for the big screen, with directors from Robert Benton ("The Human Stain") to Ernest Lehman ("Portnoy's Complaint") struggling to retain Roth's erudite Jewish-American voice. Larry Peerce's well-received "Goodbye,...
- 11/12/2014
- by Greg Cwik
- Thompson on Hollywood
Honorary Award: Gloria Swanson, Rita Hayworth among dozens of women bypassed by the Academy (photo: Honorary Award non-winner Gloria Swanson in 'Sunset Blvd.') (See previous post: "Honorary Oscars: Doris Day, Danielle Darrieux Snubbed.") Part three of this four-part article about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Honorary Award bypassing women basically consists of a long, long — and for the most part quite prestigious — list of deceased women who, some way or other, left their mark on the film world. Some of the names found below are still well known; others were huge in their day, but are now all but forgotten. Yet, just because most people (and the media) suffer from long-term — and even medium-term — memory loss, that doesn't mean these women were any less deserving of an Honorary Oscar. So, among the distinguished female film professionals in Hollywood and elsewhere who have passed away without...
- 9/4/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Part of the list provides a few Best Picture nominees, a number of Oscar winners, and a childhood favorite that still pops up now and again. In reality, this list could be half-full of music documentaries, but for that reason, I stayed away from them. Plus, I did my best to include only films that really are musicals in every sense of the word. Plenty of films have lots of musical components, but only true musicals have performances in the film that truly drive the story forward. The songs in movie musicals have a purpose, if there could be a true definition.
courtesy of ew.com
40. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
Directed by Michael Apted
Signature Song: “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
Michael Apted certainly has a dicey filmography, this probably being his best: a biographical piece featuring a breakout adult role from Sissy Spacek, winning her the Oscar for Best Actress.
courtesy of ew.com
40. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
Directed by Michael Apted
Signature Song: “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
Michael Apted certainly has a dicey filmography, this probably being his best: a biographical piece featuring a breakout adult role from Sissy Spacek, winning her the Oscar for Best Actress.
- 5/5/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Sabrina
Written by Billy Wilder, Samuel A. Taylor, and Ernest Lehman
Directed by Billy Wilder
USA, 1954
The past few weeks have been good for Humphrey Bogart on Blu-ray. The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and The African Queen were recently rereleased and assembled for the Best of Bogart Collection, and now, Sabrina, one of the legendary star’s final films, has received its first American appearance on the format. Perhaps more importantly, if total number of titles available on Blu-ray is the basis for judgment, Sabrina also marks one of disappointingly few Billy Wilder titles available in the remastered form. That the film also stars the radiant Audrey Hepburn and the remarkably versatile William Holden confirms that the release is worth commending.
From about 1944, with Double Indemnity, to Irma la Douce in 1963, Wilder had an astonishing run in Hollywood, and Sabrina came roughly in the middle of that period.
Written by Billy Wilder, Samuel A. Taylor, and Ernest Lehman
Directed by Billy Wilder
USA, 1954
The past few weeks have been good for Humphrey Bogart on Blu-ray. The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and The African Queen were recently rereleased and assembled for the Best of Bogart Collection, and now, Sabrina, one of the legendary star’s final films, has received its first American appearance on the format. Perhaps more importantly, if total number of titles available on Blu-ray is the basis for judgment, Sabrina also marks one of disappointingly few Billy Wilder titles available in the remastered form. That the film also stars the radiant Audrey Hepburn and the remarkably versatile William Holden confirms that the release is worth commending.
From about 1944, with Double Indemnity, to Irma la Douce in 1963, Wilder had an astonishing run in Hollywood, and Sabrina came roughly in the middle of that period.
- 4/18/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Sweet Smell of Success
Written by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets
Directed Alexander Mackendrick
USA, 1957
For press agents and important newspaper columnists in the 1950s, Manhattan is the heart of the jungle. With stories floating out and about from Broadway, the visits of senators or even the domain of midlevel musical artists, the Big Apple is the hubbub of gossip and breathtaking opinion pieces, a virtual goldmine for press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) and widely read columnist J. J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). The latter’s every written word forms public opinion like that of few other writers, a power he relishes, a power that inflates his already considerable ego. The former is the sewer rat who digs up any bit of information he can on just about anything that sells a newspaper…and a whole lot of gossip can sell a newspaper. His latest assignment, decreed by his dictatorial ally J.
Written by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets
Directed Alexander Mackendrick
USA, 1957
For press agents and important newspaper columnists in the 1950s, Manhattan is the heart of the jungle. With stories floating out and about from Broadway, the visits of senators or even the domain of midlevel musical artists, the Big Apple is the hubbub of gossip and breathtaking opinion pieces, a virtual goldmine for press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) and widely read columnist J. J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). The latter’s every written word forms public opinion like that of few other writers, a power he relishes, a power that inflates his already considerable ego. The former is the sewer rat who digs up any bit of information he can on just about anything that sells a newspaper…and a whole lot of gossip can sell a newspaper. His latest assignment, decreed by his dictatorial ally J.
- 4/4/2014
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Now it’s gettin’ good, right? This section of the list begins to get into the portion where “you’ve heard it before.” A number of the films below have been universally acclaimed for one reason or another, but the focus here is on the writing. Some are innovative, some are unexpected, and some completed changed the way films were written, creating a new style or sub-genre. After all, isn’t that what makes for good writing?
30. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
I don’t wanna kill anybody. But if I gotta get out that door, and you’re standing in my way, one way or the other, you’re gettin’ outta my way.
Before he was one of the more recognizable directors in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino was a screenwriter just trying to make enough money to get the films he wanted to make off the ground.
30. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
I don’t wanna kill anybody. But if I gotta get out that door, and you’re standing in my way, one way or the other, you’re gettin’ outta my way.
Before he was one of the more recognizable directors in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino was a screenwriter just trying to make enough money to get the films he wanted to make off the ground.
- 3/3/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
‘Gilda,’ ‘Pulp Fiction’: 2013 National Film Registry movies (photo: Rita Hayworth in ‘Gilda’) See previous post: “‘Mary Poppins’ in National Film Registry: Good Timing for Disney’s ‘Saving Mr. Banks.’” Billy Woodberry’s UCLA thesis film Bless Their Little Hearts (1984). Stanton Kaye’s Brandy in the Wilderness (1969). The Film Group’s Cicero March (1966), about a Civil Rights march in an all-white Chicago suburb. Norbert A. Myles’ Daughter of Dawn (1920), with Hunting Horse, Oscar Yellow Wolf, Esther Labarre. Bill Morrison’s Decasia (2002), featuring decomposing archival footage. Alfred E. Green’s Ella Cinders (1926), with Colleen Moore, Lloyd Hughes, Vera Lewis. Fred M. Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet (1956), with Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly, Robby the Robot. Charles Vidor’s Gilda (1946), with Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready. John and Faith Hubley’s Oscar-winning animated short The Hole (1962). Stanley Kramer’s Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), with Best Actor Oscar winner Maximilian Schell,...
- 12/20/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Frenzy
Written by Anthony Shaffer
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
UK, 1972
Family Plot
Written by Ernest Lehman
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
USA, 1976
There are some who opt for Alfred Hitchcock’s British years as his finest, taking into account his earliest silent features through Jamaica Inn in 1939. On the other hand, many regard the peak years in America as the Master of Suspense’s finest era, with films from Rebecca in 1940 to Marnie in 1964. Both have valid points to make and there are unquestionably several great works during each phase of the filmmaker’s career. Few, however, would rank Hitchcock’s final four films among his best. In a way, this is unfair, their lowly stature no doubt due to the masterworks that preceded them; with the films Hitchcock made before, the bar was set unassailably high. Taken apart from the imposing excellence of these earlier classics, these concluding films are solid movies.
Written by Anthony Shaffer
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
UK, 1972
Family Plot
Written by Ernest Lehman
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
USA, 1976
There are some who opt for Alfred Hitchcock’s British years as his finest, taking into account his earliest silent features through Jamaica Inn in 1939. On the other hand, many regard the peak years in America as the Master of Suspense’s finest era, with films from Rebecca in 1940 to Marnie in 1964. Both have valid points to make and there are unquestionably several great works during each phase of the filmmaker’s career. Few, however, would rank Hitchcock’s final four films among his best. In a way, this is unfair, their lowly stature no doubt due to the masterworks that preceded them; with the films Hitchcock made before, the bar was set unassailably high. Taken apart from the imposing excellence of these earlier classics, these concluding films are solid movies.
- 12/13/2013
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Yippee-ki-yay! It's action-movie time! From Die Hard to Deliverance, here's what the Guardian and Observer's critics think are the 10 best ever made. Let us know what you think in the comments below
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
- 10/10/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
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