The year before she became internationally acclaimed as the original “It Girl” for starring in the film It, Clara Bow made this peppy silent comedy directed by the Wizard Of Oz’s Victor Fleming, which had a gala screening at HippFest with live accompaniment from Neil Brand.
Bow doesn’t actually turn up until part way through the film that begins firmly with the perspective of men. Ralph Prescott (Percy Marmont) is a divorce lawyer, tired of both life and the flirtations of his clients who decides to head up country to the delightfully named Mantrap for some R&r. Joe Easter (Ernest Torrence), meanwhile is a backwoods trader lured by the bright lights and finely turned ankles of Minneapolis.
It is there that Joe crosses the path of the flirtatious Alverna (Bow), a manicurist who gives plenty of flutter with her polish. As is often the way with silent films,...
Bow doesn’t actually turn up until part way through the film that begins firmly with the perspective of men. Ralph Prescott (Percy Marmont) is a divorce lawyer, tired of both life and the flirtations of his clients who decides to head up country to the delightfully named Mantrap for some R&r. Joe Easter (Ernest Torrence), meanwhile is a backwoods trader lured by the bright lights and finely turned ankles of Minneapolis.
It is there that Joe crosses the path of the flirtatious Alverna (Bow), a manicurist who gives plenty of flutter with her polish. As is often the way with silent films,...
- 3/23/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
After initially breaking the record for directing the most Oscar-winning performances in 1939 and then being temporarily displaced by Victor Fleming the following year, William Wyler has singularly retained said distinction since 1943. At the time of his retirement more than half a century ago, he was responsible for making movies that produced a whopping 14 acting wins, including at least two in each of the four possible categories. Check out our complete photo gallery of Oscar-winning turns in Wyler films, which also includes a rundown of the unsuccessful nominees directed by him.
Between 1926 and 1970, Wyler directed 44 narrative feature films, 22 of which earned a collective total of 127 Oscar nominations and 39 wins. Among them is “Ben-Hur” (1960), which shares the record for most single-film wins (11) with “Titanic” (1998) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004). Prior to his death in 1981, Wyler was personally recognized 14 times across two categories, winning Best Director for...
Between 1926 and 1970, Wyler directed 44 narrative feature films, 22 of which earned a collective total of 127 Oscar nominations and 39 wins. Among them is “Ben-Hur” (1960), which shares the record for most single-film wins (11) with “Titanic” (1998) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004). Prior to his death in 1981, Wyler was personally recognized 14 times across two categories, winning Best Director for...
- 3/21/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
After initially breaking the record for directing the most Oscar-winning performances in 1939 and then being temporarily displaced by Victor Fleming the following year, William Wyler has singularly retained said distinction since 1943. At the time of his retirement more than half a century ago, he was responsible for making movies that produced a whopping 14 acting wins, including at least two in each of the four possible categories. Check out our complete photo gallery of Oscar-winning turns in Wyler films, which also includes a rundown of the unsuccessful nominees directed by him.
Between 1926 and 1970, Wyler directed 44 narrative feature films, 22 of which earned a collective total of 127 Oscar nominations and 39 wins. Among them is “Ben-Hur” (1960), which shares the record for most single-film wins (11) with “Titanic” (1998) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004). Prior to his death in 1981, Wyler was personally recognized 14 times across two categories, winning Best Director for...
Between 1926 and 1970, Wyler directed 44 narrative feature films, 22 of which earned a collective total of 127 Oscar nominations and 39 wins. Among them is “Ben-Hur” (1960), which shares the record for most single-film wins (11) with “Titanic” (1998) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004). Prior to his death in 1981, Wyler was personally recognized 14 times across two categories, winning Best Director for...
- 3/21/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
As she ascended the Hollywood ladder in the late 2000s, Emily Blunt was a rising star who worked at the forefront of modern cinema and appeared in movies like The Young Victoria and The Devil Wears Prada. The Into the Woods actress’ recent performances in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer have further cemented her status among the greatest actors of our time.
Moreover, her acclaimed performance led to her being nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. Well, as she becomes a more important icon in modern cinema, Blunt has begun to share her thoughts on the industry, revealing her top four films during a SXSW Q&a session.
Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer
Surprisingly enough, though, none of these works belong to the Interstellar director.
Emily Blunt’s 4 Favorite Movies: No Room for Christopher Nolan?
With a diverse taste in movies, Emily Blunt’s all-time favorite is a reflection of her own bright choices,...
Moreover, her acclaimed performance led to her being nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. Well, as she becomes a more important icon in modern cinema, Blunt has begun to share her thoughts on the industry, revealing her top four films during a SXSW Q&a session.
Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer
Surprisingly enough, though, none of these works belong to the Interstellar director.
Emily Blunt’s 4 Favorite Movies: No Room for Christopher Nolan?
With a diverse taste in movies, Emily Blunt’s all-time favorite is a reflection of her own bright choices,...
- 3/16/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
It's well known to fans of "The Wizard of Oz" that actor Ray Bolger was originally cast to play the Tin Man and famed comedian Buddy Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow. They swapped roles at Bolger's insistence, as Bolger had a personal attachment to the role; he was inspired to become an actor after seeing Vaudevillian Fred Stone play the part on stage when Bolger was a child. Ebsen was fine with changing roles, although he had to drop out of production due to makeup problems. The silvery Tin Man makeup contained powered aluminum and Ebsen breathed in big clouds of it, making him sick. At the time, many merely assumed Ebsen had an allergy. Ebsen was replaced with Jack Haley, and the makeup was altered to be a paste instead of a powder.
With the possible exception of "Star Wars," no film's production has been more meticulously recorded...
With the possible exception of "Star Wars," no film's production has been more meticulously recorded...
- 3/10/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When Michael Jackson Bought An Oscar At An Astounding Price. (Photo Credit – Instagram)
Oscars 2024: Today, we are here with the story of Michael Jackson’s prized possession, an Oscar trophy that the King of Pop bought for a staggering amount at an auction. It was the best picture award for Gone With the Wind, a Hollywood classic. For how much did Mj buy the Oscar? What happened to it after his death, or where is it now? Keep scrolling to know.
The 2024 Oscars are just a few hours away, and most people are eager to know how many trophies Christopher Nolan and his team of Oppenheimer will receive. As per statistics, Nolan’s film is expected to take home around six Academy Awards after winning all the major awards this season. Emma Stone is also a strong contender for the Leading Actress Award, and if she wins, she...
Oscars 2024: Today, we are here with the story of Michael Jackson’s prized possession, an Oscar trophy that the King of Pop bought for a staggering amount at an auction. It was the best picture award for Gone With the Wind, a Hollywood classic. For how much did Mj buy the Oscar? What happened to it after his death, or where is it now? Keep scrolling to know.
The 2024 Oscars are just a few hours away, and most people are eager to know how many trophies Christopher Nolan and his team of Oppenheimer will receive. As per statistics, Nolan’s film is expected to take home around six Academy Awards after winning all the major awards this season. Emma Stone is also a strong contender for the Leading Actress Award, and if she wins, she...
- 3/10/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
Now heading into its 20th year the Glasgow Film Festival releases details on its special events and a retrospective programme.
GFF24 special events will see the return of Victor Fleming’s classic, The Wizard of Oz, and Female Trouble which celebrates its 50th anniversary.
In recent years special events have included screenings of The Blair Witch Project in a forest as well as Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
The retrospective programme will show titles from each anniversary of Glasgow Film’s (Gft) history. These free screenings each morning will include Young Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights and The Godfather Part II to name but a few.
It is also confirmed that Czech cinema will be the County Focus where the festival will screen a number of premieres including crime thriller Mr and Mrs Stodola, dystopian sci-fi Restore Point and the UK premiere...
GFF24 special events will see the return of Victor Fleming’s classic, The Wizard of Oz, and Female Trouble which celebrates its 50th anniversary.
In recent years special events have included screenings of The Blair Witch Project in a forest as well as Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
The retrospective programme will show titles from each anniversary of Glasgow Film’s (Gft) history. These free screenings each morning will include Young Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights and The Godfather Part II to name but a few.
It is also confirmed that Czech cinema will be the County Focus where the festival will screen a number of premieres including crime thriller Mr and Mrs Stodola, dystopian sci-fi Restore Point and the UK premiere...
- 12/7/2023
- by Thomas Alexander
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The end of the Hollywood studio system in the late 1950s is an oft-mourned loss by anyone who spends an inordinate amount of time watching Turner Classic Movies or browsing the tiles on the Criterion Channel. Hollywood still makes great movies all the time, of course, but what has been lost is the volume of modest and unassuming but expertly crafted mid-range genre films. What made the classical era unique wasn’t the groundbreaking art of an Alfred Hitchcock or a John Ford; every age has its titans, and one could argue that in just the past few months we’ve had several Hollywood movies as bold and distinctive as any in the industry’s past.
What the now-defunct studio system gave us was a robust slate of movies from directors whose names were not known to the general public — directors like Michael Curtiz, Mitchell Leisen, Budd Boetticher, and several...
What the now-defunct studio system gave us was a robust slate of movies from directors whose names were not known to the general public — directors like Michael Curtiz, Mitchell Leisen, Budd Boetticher, and several...
- 11/11/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Explore where to stream the best films of 2023.
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Amerikatsi (Michael A. Goorjian)
If “Rear Window meets Life Is Beautiful” sounds like an all-timer of a cursed elevator pitch, then there’s nothing Michael A. Goorjian’s well-intentioned crowd-pleaser Amerikatsi will be able to do to win you over. A stubbornly unfashionable blend of broad comedy and highly sentimental prisoner-of-war drama, it’s paint-by-numbers middlebrow cinema of the kind the Weinstein Company would release regularly, albeit on a much more contained budget. While there is some brief novelty factor that movies of this distinctively Weinsteinian vintage are still getting made outside Hollywood, even as the broader cinematic landscape has moved past emulating that studio’s tried-and-tested formula in the hopes of awards success,...
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Amerikatsi (Michael A. Goorjian)
If “Rear Window meets Life Is Beautiful” sounds like an all-timer of a cursed elevator pitch, then there’s nothing Michael A. Goorjian’s well-intentioned crowd-pleaser Amerikatsi will be able to do to win you over. A stubbornly unfashionable blend of broad comedy and highly sentimental prisoner-of-war drama, it’s paint-by-numbers middlebrow cinema of the kind the Weinstein Company would release regularly, albeit on a much more contained budget. While there is some brief novelty factor that movies of this distinctively Weinsteinian vintage are still getting made outside Hollywood, even as the broader cinematic landscape has moved past emulating that studio’s tried-and-tested formula in the hopes of awards success,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Afire (Christian Petzold)
Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)
Where to Stream:...
Afire (Christian Petzold)
Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)
Where to Stream:...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest movie makers of all time, with titles such as “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and “The Irishman.” The Academy Awards think that highly of him, too. Scorsese has reaped nine Best Director nominations. That tally ties him with Steven Spielberg. Here’s the breakdown of Best Director bids for both of them:
Scorsese:
“Raging Bull” in 1981 — lost to Robert Redford for “Ordinary People.” “The Last Temptation of Christ” in 1989 — lost to Barry Levinson for “Rain Man.” “Goodfellas” in 1991 — lost to Kevin Costner for “Dances With Wolves.” “Gangs of New York” in 2003 — lost to Roman Polanski for “The Pianist.” “The Aviator” in 2005 — lost to Clint Eastwood for “Million Dollar Baby.” “The Departed” in 2007 — Won. “Hugo” in 2012 — lost to Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist.” “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2014 — lost to Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity.” “The Irishman” in 2020 — lost to Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite.
Scorsese:
“Raging Bull” in 1981 — lost to Robert Redford for “Ordinary People.” “The Last Temptation of Christ” in 1989 — lost to Barry Levinson for “Rain Man.” “Goodfellas” in 1991 — lost to Kevin Costner for “Dances With Wolves.” “Gangs of New York” in 2003 — lost to Roman Polanski for “The Pianist.” “The Aviator” in 2005 — lost to Clint Eastwood for “Million Dollar Baby.” “The Departed” in 2007 — Won. “Hugo” in 2012 — lost to Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist.” “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2014 — lost to Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity.” “The Irishman” in 2020 — lost to Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite.
- 9/13/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Following David Zaslav’s despicable gutting of Turner Classic Movies earlier this summer––one of many anti-art maneuvers the money-hungry Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president has commandeered in his embarrassing, hopefully short-lived tenure––he hoped to curry some favor by bringing together the holy trinity of filmmakers to guide the future of the channel. Now, after a few weeks on the job of “network advisors,” Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson have shared their picks of what to see on the channel this month.
The first two mentioned filmmakers provided videos of their recommendations, with the Killers of the Flower Moon director recommending the Boris Karloff-led Isle of the Dead, Two Sisters from Boston, Victor Fleming’s melodrama Red Dust, and Joseph Losey’s Accident.
Spielberg recommends a pair of Vincente Minnelli films, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life,...
The first two mentioned filmmakers provided videos of their recommendations, with the Killers of the Flower Moon director recommending the Boris Karloff-led Isle of the Dead, Two Sisters from Boston, Victor Fleming’s melodrama Red Dust, and Joseph Losey’s Accident.
Spielberg recommends a pair of Vincente Minnelli films, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life,...
- 9/4/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
To briefly remind readers of the saga:
Back in June of 2023, it was announced that the leadership behind Turner Classic Movies, a long-beloved curator of cinema from Hollywood's Golden Age and beyond, would be laid off. VP of enterprises and strategic partnerships Genevieve McGillicuddy, senior VP of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, executive vice president and general manager Pola Changnon, marketing VP Dexter Fedor, and VP of studio production Anne Wilson all lost their jobs. The future of TCM was suddenly up in the air. This not only outraged fans of classic cinema but threw some of Hollywood's most beloved filmmakers into a panic. Was David Zaslav, the CEO of the beleaguered Warner Bros. Discovery nixing the entire TCM brand the same way he did with so much of the films and TV shows on HBO Max? Perhaps Zaslav, having already accrued a horrendous reputation for a long series of consumer-hostile business decisions,...
Back in June of 2023, it was announced that the leadership behind Turner Classic Movies, a long-beloved curator of cinema from Hollywood's Golden Age and beyond, would be laid off. VP of enterprises and strategic partnerships Genevieve McGillicuddy, senior VP of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, executive vice president and general manager Pola Changnon, marketing VP Dexter Fedor, and VP of studio production Anne Wilson all lost their jobs. The future of TCM was suddenly up in the air. This not only outraged fans of classic cinema but threw some of Hollywood's most beloved filmmakers into a panic. Was David Zaslav, the CEO of the beleaguered Warner Bros. Discovery nixing the entire TCM brand the same way he did with so much of the films and TV shows on HBO Max? Perhaps Zaslav, having already accrued a horrendous reputation for a long series of consumer-hostile business decisions,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Betty Ann Bruno, who as a child played a munchkin in the 1939 classic The Wizard Of Oz and went on to become a TV producer and longtime reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, died Sunday in Sonoma, CA, her family said. She was 91. No cause of death was given.
Born Betty Ann Ka’ihilani in 1931 in Chicago, Bruno was 7 when she was cast with about a dozen other children of average height as Munchkins opposite the 100-plus adult little people who played the denizens of Munchkinland. Victor Fleming’s beloved film starring Judy Garland was nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture and won for Best Song (“Over the Rainbow”) and Best Score.
Among only a handful of surviving Munchkin actors, Bruno published a book called The Munchkin Diaries: My Personal Yellow Brick Road in 2020.
”The Wizard of Oz’ producer Mervyn LeRoy, star Judy Garland and director Victor Fleming...
Born Betty Ann Ka’ihilani in 1931 in Chicago, Bruno was 7 when she was cast with about a dozen other children of average height as Munchkins opposite the 100-plus adult little people who played the denizens of Munchkinland. Victor Fleming’s beloved film starring Judy Garland was nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture and won for Best Song (“Over the Rainbow”) and Best Score.
Among only a handful of surviving Munchkin actors, Bruno published a book called The Munchkin Diaries: My Personal Yellow Brick Road in 2020.
”The Wizard of Oz’ producer Mervyn LeRoy, star Judy Garland and director Victor Fleming...
- 7/31/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s no surprise that filmmaker David Lynch’s fanbase has, for four decades, continually renewed itself among each new generation of cineastes. Something about the strange alchemy of the multidisciplinary Eagle Scout’s sensuous images, earnest perspective and intuitive storytelling perspective is intoxicating, buoyed onscreen by the talents of great creative collaborators like Mary Sweeney, Alan Splet and Angelo Badalamenti.
The films themselves are often dark but always honest, their perversions expressive and earned rather than bluntly hammered. As we follow the cosmic tendrils of Lynch’s brain backwards toward their origin, it’s only natural to ask: why does this guy see the world the way he sees it?
One answer may lay in Victor Fleming 1939 MGM classic, whose enchantments reach even further back, to its position as an early television staple for impressional baby boomers developing their imaginations and material predilections in the glow of the family’s suburban RCA console.
The films themselves are often dark but always honest, their perversions expressive and earned rather than bluntly hammered. As we follow the cosmic tendrils of Lynch’s brain backwards toward their origin, it’s only natural to ask: why does this guy see the world the way he sees it?
One answer may lay in Victor Fleming 1939 MGM classic, whose enchantments reach even further back, to its position as an early television staple for impressional baby boomers developing their imaginations and material predilections in the glow of the family’s suburban RCA console.
- 6/13/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
David Lynch does not like talking about his movies. He’d prefer the work speak for itself, thank you very much. But in bending over backwards to avoid discussing what something might “mean,” or deflecting questions with humor and/or cryptic pronunciations, the Blue Velvet filmmaker occasionally drops a breadcrumb hint about what makes him creatively tick. An audience member at a Q&a once asked Lynch whether there was a connection between The Wizard of Oz and the movie he’d just screened, Mullholland Drive. His reply: “There’s...
- 6/3/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Follow the Celluloid Road: Philippe Explores the Magnificent Ozsessions of David Lynch
The next best thing to a new David Lynch project has to be a deliberation or meditation on the director’s body of work, which is exactly what documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe presents in his latest cinematic exploration, Lynch/Oz. Tracing parallels with and references to Victor Fleming’s enduring 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz as a sort of rudimentary road map through the progression of Lynch’s filmography, it’s an often compelling, always engrossing recap of the auteur’s penchant for exploring the inherent nightmares lurking somewhere over the rainbow.
Although making more generalized statements reflecting on the inherent meta textual connections Lynch has built into his own enigmatic oeuvre, there’s a lot to chew on thanks to the love and admiration of the fellow filmmakers and enthusiasts clearly excited to share their reverence for an idiosyncratic master.
The next best thing to a new David Lynch project has to be a deliberation or meditation on the director’s body of work, which is exactly what documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe presents in his latest cinematic exploration, Lynch/Oz. Tracing parallels with and references to Victor Fleming’s enduring 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz as a sort of rudimentary road map through the progression of Lynch’s filmography, it’s an often compelling, always engrossing recap of the auteur’s penchant for exploring the inherent nightmares lurking somewhere over the rainbow.
Although making more generalized statements reflecting on the inherent meta textual connections Lynch has built into his own enigmatic oeuvre, there’s a lot to chew on thanks to the love and admiration of the fellow filmmakers and enthusiasts clearly excited to share their reverence for an idiosyncratic master.
- 6/2/2023
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
“The Wizard of Oz is a film with very great power… And it’s to be expected that it has stayed with us for the past several years and that we find its echoes in our films for such a long time after. The Wizard of Oz is like a dream and it has immense emotional power,” David Lynch once said. “There’s a certain amount of fear in that picture, as well as things to dream about. So it seems truthful in some way.”
Indeed, from the overt references (Wild at Heart) to the more subtextual (see: every other David Lynch movie), Victor Fleming’s 1939 landmark has been a constant wellspring of influence for the legendary director. Yet even with such source of inspiration, Lynch’s films play as singular creations, every frame infused with a thrillingly unique voice. With his new essay documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe entertainingly explores...
Indeed, from the overt references (Wild at Heart) to the more subtextual (see: every other David Lynch movie), Victor Fleming’s 1939 landmark has been a constant wellspring of influence for the legendary director. Yet even with such source of inspiration, Lynch’s films play as singular creations, every frame infused with a thrillingly unique voice. With his new essay documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe entertainingly explores...
- 5/31/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Is that an Oz narrative?” asks director Rodney Ascher in the second chapter of Alexandre O. Philippe’s trippy, tricky, and obsessive cine-essay Lynch/Oz. Ascher is clearly being a touch dishonest with the question because he’s at that moment referring to Beverly Hills Cop. He follows up that query by wondering in tongue-in-cheek fashion, “Is everything?”
Even though Philippe’s film is ostensibly about the many ways that The Wizard of Oz permeates the work of David Lynch, Ascher’s half-serious digression into the expansively universal nature of Victor Fleming’s Technicolor musical fantasy, calling its fish-out-water plot a “sturdy template” for just about any kind of film you could imagine, is typical of the filmed essays collected by Philippe. It’s both dead-serious about its subjects and playfully exploratory.
That dual nature is present in Lynch/Oz from the start. In the first chapter, film critic Amy Nicholson,...
Even though Philippe’s film is ostensibly about the many ways that The Wizard of Oz permeates the work of David Lynch, Ascher’s half-serious digression into the expansively universal nature of Victor Fleming’s Technicolor musical fantasy, calling its fish-out-water plot a “sturdy template” for just about any kind of film you could imagine, is typical of the filmed essays collected by Philippe. It’s both dead-serious about its subjects and playfully exploratory.
That dual nature is present in Lynch/Oz from the start. In the first chapter, film critic Amy Nicholson,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Chris Barsanti
- Slant Magazine
Gone With the Wind is an iconic film from the early days of Hollywood, starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. While the movie is still memorable today, it also is controversial. Part of the controversy has to do with the film’s portrayal of Black people and slavery. Another problematic aspect involves what occurred during production. But Gable wasn’t happy with the segregation on set.
Segregation on the ‘Gone With the Wind’ set American actor Clark Gable and British actress Vivien Leigh on the set of Gone with the Wind, based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell and directed by Victor Fleming. | Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Many areas of the country saw segregation in the 1930s, but a few places experienced integration. According to ReelRundown, Lennie Bluett came from an integrated neighborhood in Culver City. He began acting in small roles and became an extra for Gone With the Wind.
Segregation on the ‘Gone With the Wind’ set American actor Clark Gable and British actress Vivien Leigh on the set of Gone with the Wind, based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell and directed by Victor Fleming. | Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Many areas of the country saw segregation in the 1930s, but a few places experienced integration. According to ReelRundown, Lennie Bluett came from an integrated neighborhood in Culver City. He began acting in small roles and became an extra for Gone With the Wind.
- 3/9/2023
- by Victoria Koehl
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Kenya Barris has worn a lot of hats in the last 20-something years. He's perhaps best known as a writer-producer for television, having co-created the cult fave reality series "America's Next Top Model," the widely successful ABC sitcom "black-ish," and its two spin-offs, "grown-ish" and "mixed-ish." Prolific career in TV aside, Barris has also been slowly carving out a niche in film. He's racked up credits on projects like "Girls Trip," "Shaft," "Little," and "Coming 2 America" as both a producer and a writer. But there's probably nothing that can fully prepare anyone to direct a film — and Barris learned that the hard way with his feature debut.
"You People" — co-written with Jonah Hill and produced by frequent collaborator Netflix — was Barris' foray into directing. It very well could have been his final one, too: "On the last day of shooting, I was like, 'I'll never do this again,'" Barris told Forbes.
"You People" — co-written with Jonah Hill and produced by frequent collaborator Netflix — was Barris' foray into directing. It very well could have been his final one, too: "On the last day of shooting, I was like, 'I'll never do this again,'" Barris told Forbes.
- 2/2/2023
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
A high-flying crowd pleaser that only the studio system could manufacture, MGM’s Test Pilot was directed by Victor Fleming, written by Howard Hawks, and starred the can’t-miss trio of Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, and Spencer Tracy. Gable plays a reckless flyboy, Loy his down-home sweetheart, and Tracy his true-blue pal. The airborne pyrotechnics and earthbound romance spawned a big box office and several Oscar nominations.
The post Test Pilot appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Test Pilot appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 1/30/2023
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
A supernatural horror rife with family ambiguity, anger and self-discovery, Sarah Lasry’s Spell on You (La Verrue) sees the Paris-based director take the confusion and rage of her childhood and combine it with the companionship she found in the world of witches and spells. It’s a narrative which empowers her young protagonist who after being initially horrified by the warts on her nose, through them, learns to harness her own unearthly powers. Lasry explores adult themes beyond the grasp of children yet glimpsed through forbidden keyholes and cracks in doors, and unlocks the freedom of self-expression through powers unknown. Spell on You is a creeping dark burgeoning of power where the adults do not rule and an ominous presence is felt right from the seeming normality of the opening scene through to a crescendo of unbalance in its final moments. Ahead of today’s premiere, we sat down...
- 1/16/2023
- by Sarah Smith
- Directors Notes
As the motion picture industry lurched into the sound era, John Wayne's career was languishing. He wasn't getting many decent roles. He wasn't impressing people when he did. He wasn't even John Wayne.
He was Marion Robert Morrison, a strapping, 6'3", Iowa-born washout from the USC football team. Wayne found his way into Hollywood via his coach, Howard Jones, who frequently procured tickets for the silent movie star Tom Mix. The actor, along with director John Ford, took on the young Wayne as a favor to Jones, giving him steady, if unspectacular work as a prop man and extra.
Given his athletic stature and boyish good looks, Wayne had the physical makings of a future star. After plugging away throughout the second half of the 1920s in bit parts (occasionally as a member of the USC football team), he finally received his first official credit Duke Morrison in James Tinling...
He was Marion Robert Morrison, a strapping, 6'3", Iowa-born washout from the USC football team. Wayne found his way into Hollywood via his coach, Howard Jones, who frequently procured tickets for the silent movie star Tom Mix. The actor, along with director John Ford, took on the young Wayne as a favor to Jones, giving him steady, if unspectacular work as a prop man and extra.
Given his athletic stature and boyish good looks, Wayne had the physical makings of a future star. After plugging away throughout the second half of the 1920s in bit parts (occasionally as a member of the USC football team), he finally received his first official credit Duke Morrison in James Tinling...
- 1/4/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Further new releases include ‘Summering’, ‘White Noise’ and ‘The Infernal Machine’.
There are a modest number of openers over the next couple of weekends at the UK-Ireland box office in the build-up to Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water landing on screens on December 16 and as festive fare settles in. This weekend’s widest new release is Violent Night, playing at 588 sites for Universal.
Tommy Wirkola’s alternative Christmas story sees Stranger Things star David Harbour play Kris Kringle during a particular trying Christmas Eve, with John Leguizamo as the leader of a group of dangerous mercenaries who take...
There are a modest number of openers over the next couple of weekends at the UK-Ireland box office in the build-up to Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water landing on screens on December 16 and as festive fare settles in. This weekend’s widest new release is Violent Night, playing at 588 sites for Universal.
Tommy Wirkola’s alternative Christmas story sees Stranger Things star David Harbour play Kris Kringle during a particular trying Christmas Eve, with John Leguizamo as the leader of a group of dangerous mercenaries who take...
- 12/2/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Mickey Kuhn, the last surviving actor of Gone with the Wind, has died at age 90.
His wife, Barbara, confirmed his death on Tuesday (22 November), telling press that Kuhn died on Sunday 20 November at a hospice facility in Naples, Florida.
With Kuhn’s death, it means that no members of the 1939 film’s production remain.
The actor was six years old when he starred in the Victor Fleming-directed picture. Considered a Hollywood classic, Gone with the Wind tells the story of Vivien Leigh’s outspoken heroine Scarlett O’Hara and her romantic pursuits of Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).
Kuhn played the son of Olivia de Havilland’s character (Melanie Wilkes), Beau Wilkes.
The film ultimately won 10 Academy Awards of the 13 it was nominated for. Notably, Hattie McDaniel’s win for Best Supporting Actress marked the first time a Black person won an Oscar.
After this role,...
His wife, Barbara, confirmed his death on Tuesday (22 November), telling press that Kuhn died on Sunday 20 November at a hospice facility in Naples, Florida.
With Kuhn’s death, it means that no members of the 1939 film’s production remain.
The actor was six years old when he starred in the Victor Fleming-directed picture. Considered a Hollywood classic, Gone with the Wind tells the story of Vivien Leigh’s outspoken heroine Scarlett O’Hara and her romantic pursuits of Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).
Kuhn played the son of Olivia de Havilland’s character (Melanie Wilkes), Beau Wilkes.
The film ultimately won 10 Academy Awards of the 13 it was nominated for. Notably, Hattie McDaniel’s win for Best Supporting Actress marked the first time a Black person won an Oscar.
After this role,...
- 11/22/2022
- by Nicole Vassell
- The Independent - Film
David Lynch is the man behind the curtain, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, in the surreal construct we call cinema. Or so documentary “Lynch/Oz” makes it out to be.
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born out of auteur Lynch’s response during a Q&a panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following the screening of “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch said more than 20 years ago that “there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘The Wizard of Oz'” when asked about the classic film’s impact on his own work.
“Lynch/Oz” reframes Lynch’s filmography within the context of the technicolor fantasy dream sequence that propelled innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its U.K. premiere during the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in U.K. theaters and...
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born out of auteur Lynch’s response during a Q&a panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following the screening of “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch said more than 20 years ago that “there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘The Wizard of Oz'” when asked about the classic film’s impact on his own work.
“Lynch/Oz” reframes Lynch’s filmography within the context of the technicolor fantasy dream sequence that propelled innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its U.K. premiere during the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in U.K. theaters and...
- 10/4/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It's no hyperbole to call Mia Goth's performance in Ti West's new film "Pearl" one of the best of the year. As the title character, Goth is equal parts gentle hayseed, desperate dreamer, sexually repressed young person, and deeply cracked psychopath. It's a broad, yet totally believable performance. The film climaxes with an extended, uncut monologue that Goth directs toward an absent husband, and her heart spills onto the floor over how disappointing her life has become. It's scary and it's heartbreaking.
"Pearl" is the second part of a three-film cycle that began with "X" back in February. "X" was set in 1978, and featured Goth in a dual role of the aspiring adult actress Maxine and the very elderly Pearl who was moved by lust to murder. "Pearl" flashes back to 1918, when the title character was a young woman on the very same farm, and how she first began killing.
"Pearl" is the second part of a three-film cycle that began with "X" back in February. "X" was set in 1978, and featured Goth in a dual role of the aspiring adult actress Maxine and the very elderly Pearl who was moved by lust to murder. "Pearl" flashes back to 1918, when the title character was a young woman on the very same farm, and how she first began killing.
- 9/21/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Return to Oz" (1985)
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The Pitch: Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk) is back home in bucolic Kansas with her loving family, having survived the terrible tornado that took her "somewhere over the rainbow" ... and yet, all is far from well. Concerned by her insistence the Land of Oz and its citizens truly exist, Dorothy's relatives decide to take her to a mental institution to receive treatment for her apparent delusions.
After fleeing from the hospital one night with the aid of a mysterious girl, Dorothy awakens the next morning to find herself in Oz once more. In her absence, however, the realm has been taken over and laid to ruin by the despotic Nome...
The Movie: "Return to Oz" (1985)
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The Pitch: Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk) is back home in bucolic Kansas with her loving family, having survived the terrible tornado that took her "somewhere over the rainbow" ... and yet, all is far from well. Concerned by her insistence the Land of Oz and its citizens truly exist, Dorothy's relatives decide to take her to a mental institution to receive treatment for her apparent delusions.
After fleeing from the hospital one night with the aid of a mysterious girl, Dorothy awakens the next morning to find herself in Oz once more. In her absence, however, the realm has been taken over and laid to ruin by the despotic Nome...
- 9/20/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
The rules of survival in Hollywood have always fascinated me. “Consistency is the key – always present yourself to studios as a total bitch,” Bette Davis once confided. “Never delude yourself into thinking that a star can become a loyal personal friend,” advised Billy Wilder. “Since studios always lie, a producer’s mandate is to come up with bigger lies,” said David O. Selznick.
As a collector of Hollywood war stories, I was pleased this week to discover a new book (741 pages) with the intimidating title Hollywood: The Oral History – one that has greatly expanded my inventory of intrigue.
Over the course of the last 50 years AFI (the American Film Institute) has semi-secretly recorded, and now published, interviews with accomplished stars and filmmakers, thus creating an intimate Hollywood history told in first person (HarperCollins is the publisher).
Approaching a book of this size as summer reading, I decided to focus not on thoughtful analysis,...
As a collector of Hollywood war stories, I was pleased this week to discover a new book (741 pages) with the intimidating title Hollywood: The Oral History – one that has greatly expanded my inventory of intrigue.
Over the course of the last 50 years AFI (the American Film Institute) has semi-secretly recorded, and now published, interviews with accomplished stars and filmmakers, thus creating an intimate Hollywood history told in first person (HarperCollins is the publisher).
Approaching a book of this size as summer reading, I decided to focus not on thoughtful analysis,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Best Actor Oscar has been the pinnacle for leading men since the first Academy Awards in 1929 when the film industry started honoring its best and brightest.
Candidates for 2023 are many, including Hugh Jackman (The Son), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Austin Butler (Elvis) and Christian Bale (Amsterdam), to mention but a few. Only time will tell who gets the next Best Actor Oscar, but time has told who the winners have been throughout history, and we have them all here for you.
The first winner was Emil Jannings, who was recognized for two films The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. The latter film, directed by Victor Fleming, is considered a lost film. Only two fragments survive, both from the end, making Jannings’ Academy Award-winning performance the only one of which there is no complete copy. That first year is also the only time that Oscars were awarded for multiple performances.
Candidates for 2023 are many, including Hugh Jackman (The Son), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Austin Butler (Elvis) and Christian Bale (Amsterdam), to mention but a few. Only time will tell who gets the next Best Actor Oscar, but time has told who the winners have been throughout history, and we have them all here for you.
The first winner was Emil Jannings, who was recognized for two films The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. The latter film, directed by Victor Fleming, is considered a lost film. Only two fragments survive, both from the end, making Jannings’ Academy Award-winning performance the only one of which there is no complete copy. That first year is also the only time that Oscars were awarded for multiple performances.
- 8/29/2022
- by David Morgan
- Deadline Film + TV
Look into the series Criterion Channel have programmed for August and this lineup is revealed as (in scientific terms) quite something. “Hollywood Chinese” proves an especially deep bench, spanning “cinema’s first hundred years to explore the ways in which the Chinese people have been imagined in American feature films” and bringing with it the likes of Cronenberg’s M. Butterfly, Cimino’s Year of the Dragon, Griffith’s Broken Blossoms, and Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet—among 20-or-so others. A three-film Marguerite Duras series brings one of the greatest films ever (India Song) and two lesser-screened experiments; films featuring Yaphet Kotto include Blue Collar, Across 110th Street, and Midnight Run; and lest we ignore a Myrna Loy retro that goes no later than 1949.
Criterion editions include The Asphalt Jungle, Husbands, Rouge, and Sweet Smell of Success; streaming premieres for Loznitsa’s Donbass, Béla Tarr’s watershed Damnation, and...
Criterion editions include The Asphalt Jungle, Husbands, Rouge, and Sweet Smell of Success; streaming premieres for Loznitsa’s Donbass, Béla Tarr’s watershed Damnation, and...
- 7/25/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Wizard of Oz has become a tradition. Synonymous with the wonder of childhood and the wonder of movies, Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic plays in homes across America every year—often cited as the most-watched film in movie history. A portion of those watches come from filmmakers who think it a sacred text, traditional source material for any story they might want to tell. One of those filmmakers is David Lynch, populist surrealist actor, writer, artist, musician, and director.
Lynch/Oz explores the connection between the famous film and dream-focused director. From documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, this six-chapter inquiry acts as a video essay on that link, each section narrated by a critic or filmmaker, from Amy Nicholson to David Lowery. A mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and a vast collection of movie scenes, the segments traverse the landscape of Lynch’s directorial efforts and clear parallels to aspects of The Wizard of Oz,...
Lynch/Oz explores the connection between the famous film and dream-focused director. From documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, this six-chapter inquiry acts as a video essay on that link, each section narrated by a critic or filmmaker, from Amy Nicholson to David Lowery. A mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and a vast collection of movie scenes, the segments traverse the landscape of Lynch’s directorial efforts and clear parallels to aspects of The Wizard of Oz,...
- 7/5/2022
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
Gabriele Mainetti’s Freaks Out, co-written with Nicola Guaglianone, starring Franz Rogowski, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto, Giancarlo Martini, Claudio Santamaria, and Giorgio Tirabassi opens Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s 21st edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema
Giuseppe Bonito’s A Girl Returned; Paolo Taviani’s Leonora Addio (The Demise Of Luigi Pirandello); Laura Bispuri’s The Peacock’s Paradise (Il Paradiso Del Pavone) starring Dominique Sanda, Alba Rohrwacher, Carlo Cerciello, and Maya Sansa; Chiara Bellosi’s Swing Ride (Calcinculo) with Gaia Di Pietro and Andrea Carpenzano; Nanni Moretti’s Three Floors with Margherita Buy, Adriano Giannini, Elena Lietti, Riccardo Scamarcio, Paolo Graziosi, and Rohrwacher, and Gabriele Mainetti’s Freaks Out, co-written with Nicola Guaglianone, starring Franz Rogowski, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto, Giancarlo Martini, Claudio Santamaria, and Giorgio Tirabassi are six highlights of Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s 21st edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema.
Giuseppe Bonito’s A Girl Returned; Paolo Taviani’s Leonora Addio (The Demise Of Luigi Pirandello); Laura Bispuri’s The Peacock’s Paradise (Il Paradiso Del Pavone) starring Dominique Sanda, Alba Rohrwacher, Carlo Cerciello, and Maya Sansa; Chiara Bellosi’s Swing Ride (Calcinculo) with Gaia Di Pietro and Andrea Carpenzano; Nanni Moretti’s Three Floors with Margherita Buy, Adriano Giannini, Elena Lietti, Riccardo Scamarcio, Paolo Graziosi, and Rohrwacher, and Gabriele Mainetti’s Freaks Out, co-written with Nicola Guaglianone, starring Franz Rogowski, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto, Giancarlo Martini, Claudio Santamaria, and Giorgio Tirabassi are six highlights of Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s 21st edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema.
- 6/9/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Tribeca is back and looking almost like it did before Covid hit the scene and upended film festivals around the world.
The 2022 edition will have indoor screenings, something that last year’s all-outdoor version eschewed. It will also offer up a steady stream of splashy premieres, performances, concerts and talks featuring A-listers such as Jennifer Lopez, as well as new offerings from the likes of Jon Hamm, Jessica Chastain, Ray Romano, Bryan Cranston and more. That’s the kind of sizzle that New York City could use as it tries to regain its stride after coronavirus knocked it for a loop.
But some pandemic-era innovations remain. Film lovers who still prefer to avoid crowds during Covid can access many of the movies and events digitally with the Tribeca At Home platform, a sign that going forward festivals are going to continue embracing a hybrid model.
As Tribeca kicks off its 12-day run on Wednesday,...
The 2022 edition will have indoor screenings, something that last year’s all-outdoor version eschewed. It will also offer up a steady stream of splashy premieres, performances, concerts and talks featuring A-listers such as Jennifer Lopez, as well as new offerings from the likes of Jon Hamm, Jessica Chastain, Ray Romano, Bryan Cranston and more. That’s the kind of sizzle that New York City could use as it tries to regain its stride after coronavirus knocked it for a loop.
But some pandemic-era innovations remain. Film lovers who still prefer to avoid crowds during Covid can access many of the movies and events digitally with the Tribeca At Home platform, a sign that going forward festivals are going to continue embracing a hybrid model.
As Tribeca kicks off its 12-day run on Wednesday,...
- 6/8/2022
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
In just her fourth American movie the Swedish import Ingrid Bergman proves herself the most sensual creature in Hollywood, running away with Spencer Tracy and Victor Fleming’s remake of Mamoulian’s pre-Code classic. The morals are cleaned up and the sex angle tamed down (except for Fröken Bergman) and the acting is less stylized — overall it’s a fine show. Ingrid learned quickly how things were done at MGM — she swiped the film’s plum role from Lana Turner.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / Available at Amazon.com / General site Wac-Amazon / Street Date May 17, 2022 / 21.99
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp, Ian Hunter, Barton MacLane, Sara Allgood.
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Art Director: Cedric Gibbons
Film Editor: Harold F. Kress
Original Music: Franz Waxman
Written by John Lee Mahin from a novella by Robert Louis Stevenson
Produced and Directed...
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / Available at Amazon.com / General site Wac-Amazon / Street Date May 17, 2022 / 21.99
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp, Ian Hunter, Barton MacLane, Sara Allgood.
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Art Director: Cedric Gibbons
Film Editor: Harold F. Kress
Original Music: Franz Waxman
Written by John Lee Mahin from a novella by Robert Louis Stevenson
Produced and Directed...
- 5/14/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Now, what sort of a gentleman doesn’t like to help a pretty girl?”
Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1941) will be available on Blu-ray May 17th from Warner Archive. It can be preordered at the Warner Archive Amazon Store
Laurence Olivier once observed that he “learned more about acting from watching [Spencer] Tracy than in any other way.” Undertaking the dual title role in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Victorian science-fiction thriller, Tracy fulfilled that compliment by abandoning his characteristic down-to-earth image for the most terrifying portrayal of his career. Also cast “against type” are “Sweater Sweetheart” Lana Turner as Jekyll’s fiancée and Ingrid Bergman, who plays Hyde’s victimized Cockney mistress. Tracy and director Victor Fleming (Gone with the Wind) decided to break with convention by interpreting Hyde from a Freudian perspective instead of portraying him as the usual physically grotesque monster, and...
Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1941) will be available on Blu-ray May 17th from Warner Archive. It can be preordered at the Warner Archive Amazon Store
Laurence Olivier once observed that he “learned more about acting from watching [Spencer] Tracy than in any other way.” Undertaking the dual title role in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Victorian science-fiction thriller, Tracy fulfilled that compliment by abandoning his characteristic down-to-earth image for the most terrifying portrayal of his career. Also cast “against type” are “Sweater Sweetheart” Lana Turner as Jekyll’s fiancée and Ingrid Bergman, who plays Hyde’s victimized Cockney mistress. Tracy and director Victor Fleming (Gone with the Wind) decided to break with convention by interpreting Hyde from a Freudian perspective instead of portraying him as the usual physically grotesque monster, and...
- 5/2/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
U.K.-based sales agent Dogwoof has revealed the world sales acquisition of “Lynch/Oz,” Alexandre O. Philippe’s feature documentary about the enduring influence of Victor Fleming’s 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” on David Lynch’s cinema.
The film is premiering at the Tribeca Festival in June.
This is the third collaboration between Dogwoof and Philippe, Kerry Deignan Roy and Robert Muratore’s Exhibit A Pictures. “78/52” was released in the U.K. and represented for international sales while “Memory: The Origins of Alien was a U.K. distribution agreement. The deal for “Lynch/Oz” was negotiated by Dogwoof’s head of acquisitions and distribution, Oli Harbottle, with the filmmakers.
In “Lynch/Oz,” Philippe has invited six American film critics and filmmakers and has given them free reign to explore their own theory about the relationship between Lynch and Oz. Participants include Karyn Kusama, John Waters, and Amy Nicholson...
The film is premiering at the Tribeca Festival in June.
This is the third collaboration between Dogwoof and Philippe, Kerry Deignan Roy and Robert Muratore’s Exhibit A Pictures. “78/52” was released in the U.K. and represented for international sales while “Memory: The Origins of Alien was a U.K. distribution agreement. The deal for “Lynch/Oz” was negotiated by Dogwoof’s head of acquisitions and distribution, Oli Harbottle, with the filmmakers.
In “Lynch/Oz,” Philippe has invited six American film critics and filmmakers and has given them free reign to explore their own theory about the relationship between Lynch and Oz. Participants include Karyn Kusama, John Waters, and Amy Nicholson...
- 4/20/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Taking place in its newly minted summer slot of June 8-19, the 2022 edition of Tribeca Festival has now unveiled its film lined up. First, some stats: The features program spans ten categories and showcases 110 feature films and 16 online premieres from 151 filmmakers across 40 countries. The lineup includes 88 world premieres, 2 international premieres, 7 North American premieres, 2 U.S. premieres, and 11 New York premieres. There are 32 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects, and 50 first-time directors. More than 64 (81) of the feature films are directed by female, Bipoc, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers––46 (58) female directors, 34 (43) Bipoc directors, 8 (10) LGBTQ+ directors.
As for the films, highlights include Andrew Bujalski’s new feature There There, Ray Romano’s directorial debut Somewhere in Queens, Hannah Marks’ Don’t Make Me Go (pictured above), the Jon Hamm-led Corner Office, Andrew Dosunmu’s Beauty, Alexandre O. Philippe’s Lynch / Oz, which explores Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic through David Lynch’s ouevre,...
As for the films, highlights include Andrew Bujalski’s new feature There There, Ray Romano’s directorial debut Somewhere in Queens, Hannah Marks’ Don’t Make Me Go (pictured above), the Jon Hamm-led Corner Office, Andrew Dosunmu’s Beauty, Alexandre O. Philippe’s Lynch / Oz, which explores Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic through David Lynch’s ouevre,...
- 4/19/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Academy Award winners Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman star with Lana Turner in the 1941 adaptation of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s classic horror tale Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Warner Archive Collection will be bringing the classic movie to Blu-ray this coming May. Victor Fleming‘s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde enters the Warner Archive […]
The post 1941’s ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Coming to Blu-ray from Warner Archive appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post 1941’s ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Coming to Blu-ray from Warner Archive appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 4/1/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Something wicked this way comes to theaters on Christmas Day: Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”. The latest interpretation of Shakespeare’s 1606 Scottish play stars Oscar-winners Denzel Washington as Macbeth, a brave general who hears a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will become king, and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, the general’s ambitious wife, who goads him into killing the King.
It’s the first film the Oscar-winning Coen has done without his brother Ethan. Coen directed his wife McDormand (they married in 1984) to the first of her three Oscars with 1996’s “Fargo.’ Could this film bag her a 4th?
Even though the play is considered “cursed” that hasn’t stopped directors and actors from tackling the powerful tragedy. The last screen version starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and directed by Justin Kurzel was released in 2015. Reviews were generally good; the box office wasn’t.
It’s the first film the Oscar-winning Coen has done without his brother Ethan. Coen directed his wife McDormand (they married in 1984) to the first of her three Oscars with 1996’s “Fargo.’ Could this film bag her a 4th?
Even though the play is considered “cursed” that hasn’t stopped directors and actors from tackling the powerful tragedy. The last screen version starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and directed by Justin Kurzel was released in 2015. Reviews were generally good; the box office wasn’t.
- 12/5/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Next month’s lineup at The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, featuring no shortage of excellent offerings. Leading the pack is a massive, 20-film retrospective dedicated to John Huston, featuring a mix of greatest and lesser-appreciated works, including Fat City, The Dead, Wise Blood, The Man Who Would Be King, and Key Largo. (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre will join the series on October 1.)
Also in the lineup is series on the works of Budd Boetticher (specifically his Randolph Scott-starring Ranown westerns), Ephraim Asili, Josephine Baker, Nikos Papatakis, Jean Harlow, Lee Isaac Chung (pre-Minari), Mani Kaul, and Michelle Parkerson.
The sparkling new restoration of La Piscine will also debut, along with Amores perros, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Cate Shortland’s Lore, both Oxhide films, Moonstruck, and much more.
See the full list of August titles below and more on The Criterion Channel.
Abigail Harm,...
Also in the lineup is series on the works of Budd Boetticher (specifically his Randolph Scott-starring Ranown westerns), Ephraim Asili, Josephine Baker, Nikos Papatakis, Jean Harlow, Lee Isaac Chung (pre-Minari), Mani Kaul, and Michelle Parkerson.
The sparkling new restoration of La Piscine will also debut, along with Amores perros, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Cate Shortland’s Lore, both Oxhide films, Moonstruck, and much more.
See the full list of August titles below and more on The Criterion Channel.
Abigail Harm,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Director Richard Donner, who died on Monday at age 91, was once compared to Victor Fleming (“Gone with the Wind”) and Michael Curtiz (“Casablanca”), old-school filmmakers who worked hard to give their studio bosses what they wanted (and to give the public what they thought it wanted).
Donner may have come into his own as a hit-maker during the New Hollywood of the 1970s, but no one ever accused him of being an auteur. He made accessible entertainments — and if that were an easy task, everyone would have done it — and helped usher in the modern era of superhero cinema with 1978’s “Superman,” a thrilling and utterly unironic take on the comic-book icon that feels more influential to contemporary moviemaking with each passing year.
Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in the Bronx, Donner moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s with hopes of becoming an actor. He was soon mentored by director Martin Ritt,...
Donner may have come into his own as a hit-maker during the New Hollywood of the 1970s, but no one ever accused him of being an auteur. He made accessible entertainments — and if that were an easy task, everyone would have done it — and helped usher in the modern era of superhero cinema with 1978’s “Superman,” a thrilling and utterly unironic take on the comic-book icon that feels more influential to contemporary moviemaking with each passing year.
Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in the Bronx, Donner moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s with hopes of becoming an actor. He was soon mentored by director Martin Ritt,...
- 7/5/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The Video Essay is a joint project of Mubi and Filmadrid International Film Festival. Film analysis and criticism found a completely new and innovative path with the arrival of the video essay, a relatively recent form that has already its own masters and is becoming increasingly popular. The limits of this discipline are constantly expanding; new essayists are finding innovative ways to study the history of cinema working with images. With this non-competitive section of the festival both Mubi and Filmadrid will offer the platform and visibility the video essay deserves. The seven selected works will be premiering online from June 7 - 13, 2021 on Mubi's Notebook. The selection was made by the programmers of Mubi and Filmadrid.Striding Along the Yellow Brick Road by Cristina OrtegaThe cinematographic process or resource known as technicolor, used in the film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Victor Fleming, makes a difference between two opposing...
- 6/9/2021
- MUBI
Photo: Best Movies With all the content that’s been produced in the last century, it’s difficult to pin down a single film each decade that truly stands out from the others of that decade. But money talks, and by assessing reviews, Oscar nominations, box office earnings, and the current perception of the film's content, one can take an educated guess at what the best movie was. The cultural impact of the film plays a large role in the way history views its prominence. Please remember that this is an Individual's perspective. Related article: Oscar Snubs: The Top 10 Actors Ignored By Oscars for Best Actor & Best Actress Awards Related article: 2020 Best Films – Less Tentpole Blockbusters and More Independent Smaller Budget Films Best Movies From Each Decade The 1930s: ‘Gone With the Wind’ (1939) Victor Fleming’s masterpiece 'Gone With the Wind' broke the box office when it became...
- 1/25/2021
- by Armando Brigham
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Neil Gaiman, renowned author and Goodwill Ambassador for Unhcr, the Un Refugee Agency has joined filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to release their top six favourite ‘Films of Hope’ to help movie fans stay hopeful and inspired during lockdown and the festive season.
Filmed as part of Unhcr, the Un Refugee Agency and the IMDb original video series ‘Films of Hope’ (#Filmsofhope), Gaiman and del Toro follow Unhcr Goodwill Ambassadors Cate Blanchett and Kristin Davis, and actors Cynthia Nixon and Gugu Mbatha -Raw to reveal their Watchlist of uplifting films. The series is helping to raise awareness and support for the most vulnerable communities affected by Covid 19, including refugees and the displaced.
Commenting on the ‘Films of Hope’ series Gaiman said: "I wanted to share my ‘Films of Hope’ Watchlist because Covid-19 has shown us how incredibly interconnected we all are and why, now more than ever, we need to help the most vulnerable – including refugees.
Filmed as part of Unhcr, the Un Refugee Agency and the IMDb original video series ‘Films of Hope’ (#Filmsofhope), Gaiman and del Toro follow Unhcr Goodwill Ambassadors Cate Blanchett and Kristin Davis, and actors Cynthia Nixon and Gugu Mbatha -Raw to reveal their Watchlist of uplifting films. The series is helping to raise awareness and support for the most vulnerable communities affected by Covid 19, including refugees and the displaced.
Commenting on the ‘Films of Hope’ series Gaiman said: "I wanted to share my ‘Films of Hope’ Watchlist because Covid-19 has shown us how incredibly interconnected we all are and why, now more than ever, we need to help the most vulnerable – including refugees.
- 12/18/2020
- Look to the Stars
There are many villains in Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz’s feature debut “Antebellum,” but none quite as vivid as Jena Malone’s nefarious plantation owner Elizabeth. A nasty piece of work in her own right, the character also emblematizes the forces of oppression that power the film’s narrative. Built upon a consciously convoluted timeline, complete with editing misdirection and a chopped-up storyline, “Antebellum” follows Janelle Monáe as both successful modern author Veronica Henley and antebellum-era slave Eden, presenting the wholly different experiences of two Black women, until the film mashes them together in unpredictable ways.
Suffice to say that Veronica and Eden intersect (to get into deeper detail would spoil the film), and while they are bonded by a litany of shared problems, none feel as immediate as the evil Elizabeth. It’s the kind of role that seems scary for a performer: Not only is she such a monster,...
Suffice to say that Veronica and Eden intersect (to get into deeper detail would spoil the film), and while they are bonded by a litany of shared problems, none feel as immediate as the evil Elizabeth. It’s the kind of role that seems scary for a performer: Not only is she such a monster,...
- 9/16/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
by Cláudio Alves
Myrna Loy's an interesting case as far as the Oscars are concerned. She was a great star, a charming performer with a magnetic screen presence, and even appeared in more than one Best Picture winner. It's easy to imagine that such a person would be a shoo-in for an Academy Award nomination at some point in their career, but Loy was never that lucky. Of the many times she came close, we're here to discuss Test Pilot. This Victor Fleming-directed romantic drama nabbed three nods back in 1938. Among them was a Best Picture citation, though no love was shown to the movie's actors…...
Myrna Loy's an interesting case as far as the Oscars are concerned. She was a great star, a charming performer with a magnetic screen presence, and even appeared in more than one Best Picture winner. It's easy to imagine that such a person would be a shoo-in for an Academy Award nomination at some point in their career, but Loy was never that lucky. Of the many times she came close, we're here to discuss Test Pilot. This Victor Fleming-directed romantic drama nabbed three nods back in 1938. Among them was a Best Picture citation, though no love was shown to the movie's actors…...
- 9/16/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Above: 1976 Hungarian poster for The Wizard of Oz. Art by Olga Tövisváry.In the world of East European poster design, Hungary has always been somewhat of a poor relation to Poland and Czechoslovakia, whose artists have been justly celebrated for years. In that indispensable bible of international postwar movie poster design, Art of the Modern Movie Poster, 66 pages are devoted to Polish posters and 40 to the Czechs, but not only is Hungary lumped into a section with Russia, Romania, and Yugoslavia but there are only two Hungarian posters featured. But that dearth of attention is all due to access rather than to the quality of Hungarian design. I recently came across a treasure-trove of Hungarian movie posters on a number of websites that could go a long way to redressing the balance. The posters that I am featuring here were all found on the auction site Bedo and they come...
- 8/23/2020
- MUBI
HBO Max has added yet another informative introduction to one of its titles. When Blazing Saddles hit the network’s new platform on July 28, the Mel Brooks film kicks off not with its opening sequence, but rather an introduction by University of Chicago professor and TCM host Jacqueline Stewart.
The intro, in which the Silent Sunday Nights host provides social context to the 1974 Cleavon Little-Gene Wilder comedy, is similar to the disclaimer in front of Gone with the Wind.
“This movie is an overt and audacious spoof on classic Westerns,” Stewart says in the newly added intro. “It’s as provocative today as it was when it premiered back in 1974.”
The TCM notice not only provides context to some of Brooks’ characters but also informs audiences about the director’s spoofing ways. Stewart highlights the director’s later genre satires, including Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety and Spaceballs. She...
The intro, in which the Silent Sunday Nights host provides social context to the 1974 Cleavon Little-Gene Wilder comedy, is similar to the disclaimer in front of Gone with the Wind.
“This movie is an overt and audacious spoof on classic Westerns,” Stewart says in the newly added intro. “It’s as provocative today as it was when it premiered back in 1974.”
The TCM notice not only provides context to some of Brooks’ characters but also informs audiences about the director’s spoofing ways. Stewart highlights the director’s later genre satires, including Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety and Spaceballs. She...
- 8/13/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
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