In his bold 1990 interpretation of Luigi Pirandello’s “Henry IV,” the late and legendary Irish stage, screen and music star Richard Harris utters the immortal lines, “Woe to him who doesn’t know how to wear his mask.”
Even before his breathtaking big-screen triumph 60 years ago as the rugby ruffian Frank Machin in Lindsay Anderson’s film directing debut, “This Sporting Life,” Harris proved adept at juggling personal and professional personas. He swaggered with macho gusto and great thesping chops through the London stage scene and quickly found key roles in action epics such as “Guns of Navarone” and “Mutiny on the Bounty.”
Then his stunning 1963 breakthrough in “Life” made the showbiz side of the equation easy.
A Cannes lead actor award, an Oscar nomination and reams of reviews such as Variety’s quickly put Harris at the top tier of international leading men. Variety’s London critic at the...
Even before his breathtaking big-screen triumph 60 years ago as the rugby ruffian Frank Machin in Lindsay Anderson’s film directing debut, “This Sporting Life,” Harris proved adept at juggling personal and professional personas. He swaggered with macho gusto and great thesping chops through the London stage scene and quickly found key roles in action epics such as “Guns of Navarone” and “Mutiny on the Bounty.”
Then his stunning 1963 breakthrough in “Life” made the showbiz side of the equation easy.
A Cannes lead actor award, an Oscar nomination and reams of reviews such as Variety’s quickly put Harris at the top tier of international leading men. Variety’s London critic at the...
- 2/27/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Back in the early 1970s I was crazy about Depression-Era Warner Bros. movies, that weren’t being shown on TV or anywhere else. In that climate of deprivation, a documentary that used movie film clips from the period felt extremely fresh and new. Philippe Mora’s picture sees 1930s America through the movies, through music, and the evasions of official newsreels. Franklin Delano Roosevelt preaches prosperity while James Cagney slugs his way through the decade as a smart-tongued everyman — in a dozen different roles. This was a new kind of documentary info-tainment formula: applying old film footage to new purposes.
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
Blu-ray
The Sprocket Vault / Vci
1975 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 106 min.
Street Date October 1, 2019 / 24.95
Film Editor: Jeremy Thomas
Research by Michael Barlow, Jennifer E. Ryan, Susan Winslow
Produced by Sanford Lieberson, David Puttnam
Directed by Philippe Mora
Philippe Mora was an accomplished artist and documentary...
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
Blu-ray
The Sprocket Vault / Vci
1975 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 106 min.
Street Date October 1, 2019 / 24.95
Film Editor: Jeremy Thomas
Research by Michael Barlow, Jennifer E. Ryan, Susan Winslow
Produced by Sanford Lieberson, David Puttnam
Directed by Philippe Mora
Philippe Mora was an accomplished artist and documentary...
- 12/21/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Jabberwocky
Blu-ray
Criterion
1977/ 1:85 / 105 Min. / Street Date November 21, 2017
Starring Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier
Cinematography by Terry Bedford
Written by Charles Alverson, Terry Gilliam
Music by Hector Berlioz, Modest Mussorgsky
Edited by Michael Bradsell
Produced by Sanford Lieberson
Directed by Terry Gilliam
The prospect of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky directed by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam promised a brave new world of sophisticated nonsense; The Mad Hatter meets the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Equally appetizing was the thought of illustrator John Tenniel’s hideous creature brought to life by Gilliam, the Python’s premiere visual satirist. But Gilliam, working in a chaotic British climate that saw Harold Wilson being upstaged by the Sex Pistols, had other ideas, exemplified by the film’s title sequence which rolls by over some of Pieter Bruegel’s most unnerving canvasses.
The Dutch artist was no Pollyanna (his most famous painting was...
Blu-ray
Criterion
1977/ 1:85 / 105 Min. / Street Date November 21, 2017
Starring Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier
Cinematography by Terry Bedford
Written by Charles Alverson, Terry Gilliam
Music by Hector Berlioz, Modest Mussorgsky
Edited by Michael Bradsell
Produced by Sanford Lieberson
Directed by Terry Gilliam
The prospect of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky directed by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam promised a brave new world of sophisticated nonsense; The Mad Hatter meets the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Equally appetizing was the thought of illustrator John Tenniel’s hideous creature brought to life by Gilliam, the Python’s premiere visual satirist. But Gilliam, working in a chaotic British climate that saw Harold Wilson being upstaged by the Sex Pistols, had other ideas, exemplified by the film’s title sequence which rolls by over some of Pieter Bruegel’s most unnerving canvasses.
The Dutch artist was no Pollyanna (his most famous painting was...
- 1/9/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
It’s 1930s America as seen in the movies, through music, and the evasions of newsreels. Franklin Delano Roosevelt preaches prosperity while James Cagney slugs out the decade as a smart-tongued everyman — in a dozen different roles. Director Philippe Mora investigates what was then a new kind of revisionist info-tainment formula: applying old film footage to new purposes.
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
DVD
The Sprocket Vault
1975 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame / 106 min. / Street Date ?, 2017 / available through The Sprocket Vault / 14.99 (also available in Blu-ray)
Film Editor: Jeremy Thomas
Research by Michael Barlow, Jennifer E. Ryan, Susan Winslow
Produced by Sanford Lieberson, David Puttnam
Directed by Philippe Mora
Years before he was briefly sidetracked into sequels for The Howling, Philippe Mora was an accomplished artist and documentary filmmaker. Backed by producers Sanford Lieberson and David Puttnam, his 1974 documentary Swastika pulled a controversial switch on the usual historical fare about...
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
DVD
The Sprocket Vault
1975 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame / 106 min. / Street Date ?, 2017 / available through The Sprocket Vault / 14.99 (also available in Blu-ray)
Film Editor: Jeremy Thomas
Research by Michael Barlow, Jennifer E. Ryan, Susan Winslow
Produced by Sanford Lieberson, David Puttnam
Directed by Philippe Mora
Years before he was briefly sidetracked into sequels for The Howling, Philippe Mora was an accomplished artist and documentary filmmaker. Backed by producers Sanford Lieberson and David Puttnam, his 1974 documentary Swastika pulled a controversial switch on the usual historical fare about...
- 6/19/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Producer and managing director of Scott Free has died.
Film producer Julie Payne, a long-time collaborator of Ridley Scott, has died aged 64 following a short battle with cancer.
Payne managed the London operations of Scott’s Scott Free Films for more than 15 years, producing and executive producing projects for the company including Richard Loncraine’s The Gathering Storm and follow-up Into The Storm - winning two Golden Globes and two Emmys.
Payne also executive produced Scott’s own France-set comedy A Good Year, and produced Jordan Scott’s debut feature film Cracks.
Payne’s collaboration with Scott dates back to the late-80s, when she worked across some of Scott’s most notable movies in various roles starting with Thelma & Louise in 1991 through to G.I. Jane and Gladiator.
Payne originally started her career at the BBC in the early 1970s, working first in their costume department and then in costume allocation. She subsequently...
Film producer Julie Payne, a long-time collaborator of Ridley Scott, has died aged 64 following a short battle with cancer.
Payne managed the London operations of Scott’s Scott Free Films for more than 15 years, producing and executive producing projects for the company including Richard Loncraine’s The Gathering Storm and follow-up Into The Storm - winning two Golden Globes and two Emmys.
Payne also executive produced Scott’s own France-set comedy A Good Year, and produced Jordan Scott’s debut feature film Cracks.
Payne’s collaboration with Scott dates back to the late-80s, when she worked across some of Scott’s most notable movies in various roles starting with Thelma & Louise in 1991 through to G.I. Jane and Gladiator.
Payne originally started her career at the BBC in the early 1970s, working first in their costume department and then in costume allocation. She subsequently...
- 7/12/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Highly respected producer worked on Joanna Hogg’s Archipelago and Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil.
British producer Gayle Griffiths has died following a battle with cancer. She was 49.
Griffiths, who died on Friday (Oct 23) in London, was perhaps best known for producing Joanna Hogg films Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013), which both starred Tom Hiddleston, as well as urban drama My Brother The Devil (2012).
Sally El Hosani, director of My Brother The Devil, wrote on Facebook: “I can honestly say that the film wouldn’t have been what it was without her input and wisdom. She had real vision and believed in the film when many others in the industry didn’t. She was a fighter with a truly generous heart and empathy for the underdog.
“She was never one to make a fuss about her health and all through the filming of My Brother The Devil nobody would have guessed she was also having cancer...
British producer Gayle Griffiths has died following a battle with cancer. She was 49.
Griffiths, who died on Friday (Oct 23) in London, was perhaps best known for producing Joanna Hogg films Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013), which both starred Tom Hiddleston, as well as urban drama My Brother The Devil (2012).
Sally El Hosani, director of My Brother The Devil, wrote on Facebook: “I can honestly say that the film wouldn’t have been what it was without her input and wisdom. She had real vision and believed in the film when many others in the industry didn’t. She was a fighter with a truly generous heart and empathy for the underdog.
“She was never one to make a fuss about her health and all through the filming of My Brother The Devil nobody would have guessed she was also having cancer...
- 10/27/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
In Cannes, the eighth annial Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast award has gone to Merican Chick.
Evita Naušová and Viktor Tauš from the Czech Republic get the prize along with €10,000 ($14,000) to further develop their project. The award recognises a script from Eastern and Central Europe.
The script is about a defiant circus girl in the 1980s who is kidnapped from the Us and taken back to communist Czechoslovakia.
A special mention was given to Life Beats Reality by Andreea Valean (Romania), a “unique 21st century family portrait”.
The selection was made by the Advisory Board members, comprising Sandy Lieberson, Manfred Schmidt, Simon Perry, Antonio Saura, Dariusz Jablonski, and heads of studies Tom Abrams and Christian Routh.
Past Kieslowski award winners that have already been produced include The House by Zuzana Liova and Womb by Benedek Fliegauf.
Evita Naušová and Viktor Tauš from the Czech Republic get the prize along with €10,000 ($14,000) to further develop their project. The award recognises a script from Eastern and Central Europe.
The script is about a defiant circus girl in the 1980s who is kidnapped from the Us and taken back to communist Czechoslovakia.
A special mention was given to Life Beats Reality by Andreea Valean (Romania), a “unique 21st century family portrait”.
The selection was made by the Advisory Board members, comprising Sandy Lieberson, Manfred Schmidt, Simon Perry, Antonio Saura, Dariusz Jablonski, and heads of studies Tom Abrams and Christian Routh.
Past Kieslowski award winners that have already been produced include The House by Zuzana Liova and Womb by Benedek Fliegauf.
- 5/23/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Philippe Mora, the Australian-u.S. Producer of incredibly Jewish stories which are based on his own family is now showing his film Absolutely Modern on Amazon Instant Video and we think you should tune in. If Sandy Lieberson of Film London says that " Philippe Mora never ceases to surprise, challenge and amuse. He is a one man film industry and satire is his weapon. ” then it’s worth the look.
Philippe is best known in the film world for Brother Can You Spare a Dime (which was produced by Sanford Lieberson and David Puttnam and edited by Jeremy Thomas!) It was a great film, a nostalgic look back at the Great Depression with contemporary archival footage and film clips picturing James Cagney as an American Everyman that Dimension might still have for U.S. Other films he is known for —Mad Dog Morgan (1976),Howling III (1987) and Communion(1989) are just a few on a long, long list of films. Check him out on IMDb or IMDbPro now.
Here are some links to this smart, well reviewed comedy about muses, modernism and the role of sexuality in art as told by the famed art critic Lord Steinway when a football player, 29, confronts Steinway as his long lost son,.
Movie link: Amazon Instant Video
I hope all my film friends don’t ask me to do this, because I am not an advertising agency, but in the case of Philippe (we go back a long way!) I am happy to do this and besides it is a great opportunity to see how modern media can sell using modern technology. Dyi as its best!
And on another note, a documentary film titled Man Made Mora about him is being directed and produced by Alan Goldman and edited by Alex Soler for Blue Plate Productions.
The film is a feature documentary about Artist and Filmmaker Philippe Mora as he takes us on a unique journey into film, art and history, which reveals a tragic family past, but his family's survival and work represents a celebration of life, creativity and art.
Mr. Mora's parents were survivors of the Holocaust and moved to Melbourne, Australia from Paris when he was three years old. In 2010, he was attending a retrospective of his work at the New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. As you probably aware Wroclaw was formerly part of Germany and was known as Breslau prior to the end of World War Two. Before he left for the festival his mother Mirka told him that she remembered his father telling her that his grandfather Max had gotten married there. The archivist said that she would help but needed a couple of days to see what she could find.
Upon his return Philippe was amazed to learn that the archivist had found a lot more than just the marriage certificate. She had unearthed a plethora of Third Reich documents revealing the fate of his great uncle Fritz Morawski, a wealthy businessman and landowner, who had all of his assets and possessions stolen by the Nazis and then, along with his family, he perished in Auschwitz. Mora recently passed the papers over to a lawyer who specializes in these types of claims who stated “this kind of extensive documentation—250 plus items—is extremely unusual because the Nazis destroyed such records.” By searching through the documents Mora has determined that eight of his relatives were murdered at Auschwitz.
Philippe is fascinated by the “banality of evil”, a theme flowing through all of his art and films. Although Mora has made four films about the scourge of Nazism, it is too simplistic to categorize him as a filmmaker obsessed with everything to do with the Third Reich. Mora is constantly turning over the rocks of history searching for answers to his questions. Philippe has examined subjects such as Marilyn Monroe’s mysterious death believing that “many important historical artifacts are just hiding in plain sight.” Why the continual search for answers? Is it because he recently discovered that the Nazis murdered eight of his relatives in Auschwitz, or because his father was an important member of the French resistance? Whatever the reasons, he has a desire to continue to question the past through his art, in an attempt to better understand how history has shaped our current day life. In Man Made Mora we will see Philippe tackle that past directly.
We will document Philippe’s journey back to Poland and Germany to find out what happened to his family and their possessions. The journey will serve as a physical and metaphorical means of structuring the film and will result in an intimate portrayal of the man. The audience will get an account of what happened to his family and witness Philippe sharing his own thoughts about their tragic past.
Philippe is best known in the film world for Brother Can You Spare a Dime (which was produced by Sanford Lieberson and David Puttnam and edited by Jeremy Thomas!) It was a great film, a nostalgic look back at the Great Depression with contemporary archival footage and film clips picturing James Cagney as an American Everyman that Dimension might still have for U.S. Other films he is known for —Mad Dog Morgan (1976),Howling III (1987) and Communion(1989) are just a few on a long, long list of films. Check him out on IMDb or IMDbPro now.
Here are some links to this smart, well reviewed comedy about muses, modernism and the role of sexuality in art as told by the famed art critic Lord Steinway when a football player, 29, confronts Steinway as his long lost son,.
Movie link: Amazon Instant Video
I hope all my film friends don’t ask me to do this, because I am not an advertising agency, but in the case of Philippe (we go back a long way!) I am happy to do this and besides it is a great opportunity to see how modern media can sell using modern technology. Dyi as its best!
And on another note, a documentary film titled Man Made Mora about him is being directed and produced by Alan Goldman and edited by Alex Soler for Blue Plate Productions.
The film is a feature documentary about Artist and Filmmaker Philippe Mora as he takes us on a unique journey into film, art and history, which reveals a tragic family past, but his family's survival and work represents a celebration of life, creativity and art.
Mr. Mora's parents were survivors of the Holocaust and moved to Melbourne, Australia from Paris when he was three years old. In 2010, he was attending a retrospective of his work at the New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. As you probably aware Wroclaw was formerly part of Germany and was known as Breslau prior to the end of World War Two. Before he left for the festival his mother Mirka told him that she remembered his father telling her that his grandfather Max had gotten married there. The archivist said that she would help but needed a couple of days to see what she could find.
Upon his return Philippe was amazed to learn that the archivist had found a lot more than just the marriage certificate. She had unearthed a plethora of Third Reich documents revealing the fate of his great uncle Fritz Morawski, a wealthy businessman and landowner, who had all of his assets and possessions stolen by the Nazis and then, along with his family, he perished in Auschwitz. Mora recently passed the papers over to a lawyer who specializes in these types of claims who stated “this kind of extensive documentation—250 plus items—is extremely unusual because the Nazis destroyed such records.” By searching through the documents Mora has determined that eight of his relatives were murdered at Auschwitz.
Philippe is fascinated by the “banality of evil”, a theme flowing through all of his art and films. Although Mora has made four films about the scourge of Nazism, it is too simplistic to categorize him as a filmmaker obsessed with everything to do with the Third Reich. Mora is constantly turning over the rocks of history searching for answers to his questions. Philippe has examined subjects such as Marilyn Monroe’s mysterious death believing that “many important historical artifacts are just hiding in plain sight.” Why the continual search for answers? Is it because he recently discovered that the Nazis murdered eight of his relatives in Auschwitz, or because his father was an important member of the French resistance? Whatever the reasons, he has a desire to continue to question the past through his art, in an attempt to better understand how history has shaped our current day life. In Man Made Mora we will see Philippe tackle that past directly.
We will document Philippe’s journey back to Poland and Germany to find out what happened to his family and their possessions. The journey will serve as a physical and metaphorical means of structuring the film and will result in an intimate portrayal of the man. The audience will get an account of what happened to his family and witness Philippe sharing his own thoughts about their tragic past.
- 4/13/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Commercials veterans Jason Underhill and Rory Shaw have launched film production and development company Films of London.
The company plans to shoot the first two films of its seven-picture slate in 2014. Those films are Andy de Emmony’s Glorious Summer, a comedy about a weekend at a music festival that goes awry; and Tooth & Claw, a horror film about an airport heist that unravels; the director for the latter £1.5m project will be announced soon.
The outfit plans to focus on features and documentaries budgeted at £500,000 to £2m. The slate will also include £1m London-set noir thriller South of The River, about a law firm who hires a lowly detective to find a missing woman; Drugs 2.0 adapted from Mike Power’s book about modern drugtaking; Swansong, about a care home for elderly former Hollywood stars; and darts champion Jocky Wilson story Jocky.
Nfts alumnus Underhill previously established TV commercials production company P for Production.
Shaw, who will...
The company plans to shoot the first two films of its seven-picture slate in 2014. Those films are Andy de Emmony’s Glorious Summer, a comedy about a weekend at a music festival that goes awry; and Tooth & Claw, a horror film about an airport heist that unravels; the director for the latter £1.5m project will be announced soon.
The outfit plans to focus on features and documentaries budgeted at £500,000 to £2m. The slate will also include £1m London-set noir thriller South of The River, about a law firm who hires a lowly detective to find a missing woman; Drugs 2.0 adapted from Mike Power’s book about modern drugtaking; Swansong, about a care home for elderly former Hollywood stars; and darts champion Jocky Wilson story Jocky.
Nfts alumnus Underhill previously established TV commercials production company P for Production.
Shaw, who will...
- 11/26/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Commercials veterans Jason Underhill and Rory Shaw have launched film production and development company Films of London.
The company plans to shoot the first two films of its seven-picture slate in 2014. Those films are Andy de Emmony’s Glorious Summer, a comedy about a weekend at a music festival that goes awry; and Tooth & Claw, a horror film about an airport heist that unravels; the director for the latter £1.5m project will be announced soon.
The outfit plans to focus on features and documentaries budgeted at £500,000 to £2m. The slate will also include £1m London-set noir thriller South of The River, about a law firm who hires a lowly detective to find a missing woman; Drugs 2.0 adapted from Mike Power’s book about modern drugtaking; Swansong, about a care home for elderly former Hollywood stars; and darts champion Jocky Wilson story Jocky.
Nfts alumnus Underhill previously established TV commercials production company P for Production.
Shaw, who will...
The company plans to shoot the first two films of its seven-picture slate in 2014. Those films are Andy de Emmony’s Glorious Summer, a comedy about a weekend at a music festival that goes awry; and Tooth & Claw, a horror film about an airport heist that unravels; the director for the latter £1.5m project will be announced soon.
The outfit plans to focus on features and documentaries budgeted at £500,000 to £2m. The slate will also include £1m London-set noir thriller South of The River, about a law firm who hires a lowly detective to find a missing woman; Drugs 2.0 adapted from Mike Power’s book about modern drugtaking; Swansong, about a care home for elderly former Hollywood stars; and darts champion Jocky Wilson story Jocky.
Nfts alumnus Underhill previously established TV commercials production company P for Production.
Shaw, who will...
- 11/26/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Eva Braun was the most intimate chronicler of the Nazi regime, capturing Hitler's private life with her cine-camera. But it was only the obsession of artist Lutz Becker that brought her films to light. Robert McCrum and Taylor Downing uncover the story of the footage that shocked the world
Lutz Becker was born in Berlin, he says, "during the anno diabolo, 1941. Mine was the generation that was sent into a dark pit." Meeting this survivor of the Third Reich, now in his 70s and living in Bayswater, London, it's hard to suppress the thought that Becker, a distinguished artist and film historian, has conducted most of his life in a circle of hell.
Becker's childhood passed in the fetid, terrifying atmosphere of Berlin's air-raid shelters as the Allied raids intensified and the city was reduced to burning rubble. He recalls the radio announcements – "Achtung, achtung, ende ende, über Deutschland sinfe bender.
Lutz Becker was born in Berlin, he says, "during the anno diabolo, 1941. Mine was the generation that was sent into a dark pit." Meeting this survivor of the Third Reich, now in his 70s and living in Bayswater, London, it's hard to suppress the thought that Becker, a distinguished artist and film historian, has conducted most of his life in a circle of hell.
Becker's childhood passed in the fetid, terrifying atmosphere of Berlin's air-raid shelters as the Allied raids intensified and the city was reduced to burning rubble. He recalls the radio announcements – "Achtung, achtung, ende ende, über Deutschland sinfe bender.
- 1/27/2013
- by Robert McCrum
- The Guardian - Film News
Sundance London
You won't bump into Robert Redford in a ski-lift queue, but you're at least promised the cream of Us indie cinema in the top festival's first event outside of Utah – plus some music. Redford will be at the opening night gig with T Bone Burnett, and introducing a documentary on that indie-est of subjects, Prince Charles. You also get 14 highlights from Sundance proper, including time-travel romcom Safety Not Guaranteed and college drama Liberal Arts, plus prize-winning documentaries The House I Live In and The Queen Of Versailles.
The O2, SE10, Thu to 29 Apr
Sensoria, Sheffield
Film and music come together in mysterious and moving ways here, in a rare festival that's equal parts both. So you get some "straight" live music (if the experimentalism of Laurie Anderson can be described as such), and a variety of music-related movies, whether it's those with great scores (such as Zbigniew Preisner...
You won't bump into Robert Redford in a ski-lift queue, but you're at least promised the cream of Us indie cinema in the top festival's first event outside of Utah – plus some music. Redford will be at the opening night gig with T Bone Burnett, and introducing a documentary on that indie-est of subjects, Prince Charles. You also get 14 highlights from Sundance proper, including time-travel romcom Safety Not Guaranteed and college drama Liberal Arts, plus prize-winning documentaries The House I Live In and The Queen Of Versailles.
The O2, SE10, Thu to 29 Apr
Sensoria, Sheffield
Film and music come together in mysterious and moving ways here, in a rare festival that's equal parts both. So you get some "straight" live music (if the experimentalism of Laurie Anderson can be described as such), and a variety of music-related movies, whether it's those with great scores (such as Zbigniew Preisner...
- 4/20/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Jim Caviezel suggested this week that Jesus ruined his chances in Hollywood
The big story
He died for their sins. Well his career did anyway. Jim Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's searing and controversial The Passion of the Christ, complained this week that he had become a Hollywood outcast after his messianic screen outing. Caviezel, a Christian himself, told an audience at a church in Orlando that he had been "rejected" by the film industry following the release of the film, a big box office hit. "Jesus is as controversial now as he has ever been. Not much has changed in 2,000 years," he explained. The he went on to show the tact and diplomacy that ought to have charmed the movers and shakers by calling Gibson "a horrible sinner".
In other news
• Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando 'fled 9/11 in hire car'
• Hammer time:...
The big story
He died for their sins. Well his career did anyway. Jim Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's searing and controversial The Passion of the Christ, complained this week that he had become a Hollywood outcast after his messianic screen outing. Caviezel, a Christian himself, told an audience at a church in Orlando that he had been "rejected" by the film industry following the release of the film, a big box office hit. "Jesus is as controversial now as he has ever been. Not much has changed in 2,000 years," he explained. The he went on to show the tact and diplomacy that ought to have charmed the movers and shakers by calling Gibson "a horrible sinner".
In other news
• Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando 'fled 9/11 in hire car'
• Hammer time:...
- 5/5/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
This week offered some exciting comeback prospects
The big story
He'll be back. Steel yourself for the familiar faltering speech, the muscular frame, the ruthless indefatigability. Steve Coogan revealed this week that he is planning to shoot an Alan Partridge film in the heart of the blazer-loving chatshow host's Norfolk fiefdom. Hasta la vista, Norwich.
Trying vainly to steal Partridge's thunder came reports this week of another comeback. Arnold Schwarzenegger is apparently lined up for a fifth Terminator film.
In other news
• Terrence Malick's Tree of Life to debut in Cannes after all
• Jack's Black: Osbourne Jr to direct Black Sabbath feature film
• Gay Bollywood film funded by Facebook friends
• Pinewood backs Peel takeover bid
• Church of Scientology buys historic Hollywood studios
• Russell Crowe tipped to direct James Ellroy film 77
• Previously banned tale of forbidden love may now be shown in Egypt
• YouTube to launch movie rental service
• Lindsay Lohan...
The big story
He'll be back. Steel yourself for the familiar faltering speech, the muscular frame, the ruthless indefatigability. Steve Coogan revealed this week that he is planning to shoot an Alan Partridge film in the heart of the blazer-loving chatshow host's Norfolk fiefdom. Hasta la vista, Norwich.
Trying vainly to steal Partridge's thunder came reports this week of another comeback. Arnold Schwarzenegger is apparently lined up for a fifth Terminator film.
In other news
• Terrence Malick's Tree of Life to debut in Cannes after all
• Jack's Black: Osbourne Jr to direct Black Sabbath feature film
• Gay Bollywood film funded by Facebook friends
• Pinewood backs Peel takeover bid
• Church of Scientology buys historic Hollywood studios
• Russell Crowe tipped to direct James Ellroy film 77
• Previously banned tale of forbidden love may now be shown in Egypt
• YouTube to launch movie rental service
• Lindsay Lohan...
- 4/28/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Love is in the air, but there's a definite whiff of opportunism in there too
The big story
A nation holds its breath. Unshakeable from the collective imagination is the image of a tall, blond, regal-looking young man and his shapely dark-haired companion. In feverish newsrooms they check the wires for stories of surges in sales of booze, bunting and widescreen TVs among a recession-hit populace thirsty for a shot of euphoria. Yes, Lifetime TV's William & Kate: the movie, is coming to your screens this Sunday.
Not everyone was swept away in the excitement of the royal romance-themed Us movie. Indeed Lifetime's William, whose name sounds like one Beano writers might have concocted for a used car salesman, Nico Evers-Swindell, felt compelled to defend the film. Why? Well, the Daily Mail had shown it some tough love, calling it "truly terrible: a shoddily cast, poorly executed, badly edited and surprisingly...
The big story
A nation holds its breath. Unshakeable from the collective imagination is the image of a tall, blond, regal-looking young man and his shapely dark-haired companion. In feverish newsrooms they check the wires for stories of surges in sales of booze, bunting and widescreen TVs among a recession-hit populace thirsty for a shot of euphoria. Yes, Lifetime TV's William & Kate: the movie, is coming to your screens this Sunday.
Not everyone was swept away in the excitement of the royal romance-themed Us movie. Indeed Lifetime's William, whose name sounds like one Beano writers might have concocted for a used car salesman, Nico Evers-Swindell, felt compelled to defend the film. Why? Well, the Daily Mail had shown it some tough love, calling it "truly terrible: a shoddily cast, poorly executed, badly edited and surprisingly...
- 4/21/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
When the first Star Wars movie came out we were puzzled – people saw it six times a week. It captivated a generation
There was a time – believe it or not – when I used to say that Star Wars is just a movie, and people who are obsessed with it really should move on. Walk out of the theatre and forget about it – it's only a film.
Of course, a lot of people didn't do that. The first movie and its successors captivated a generation. The archetypal energy that made a lot of younger people want to actually live in the environment created onscreen was unique at the time.
When George Lucas and I began planning the first film, we had no idea what it would become; the kind of devotion it would attract. We planned to make this film that would capture the feel of the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s,...
There was a time – believe it or not – when I used to say that Star Wars is just a movie, and people who are obsessed with it really should move on. Walk out of the theatre and forget about it – it's only a film.
Of course, a lot of people didn't do that. The first movie and its successors captivated a generation. The archetypal energy that made a lot of younger people want to actually live in the environment created onscreen was unique at the time.
When George Lucas and I began planning the first film, we had no idea what it would become; the kind of devotion it would attract. We planned to make this film that would capture the feel of the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s,...
- 4/19/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
After last year's men-only affair, the Cannes film festival decided to give women a shot at the big prize
The big story
You wait two years for a female director at Cannes and then four come along at once. The French film festival has corrected last year's gender imbalance, which saw not one single female director selected for the main competition list, by lining up a quartet of women contenders. British director, Lynne Ramsay made the cut with We Need to Talk About Kevin, alongside Japan's Naomi Kawase, France's Maiwenn Le Besco and the Australian Julia Leigh. Whether any of them can match Jane Campion and become only the second female winner of the Palme D'Or remains to be seen, but if they do walk off with the booty they'll need to beware pirates.
In other news
• Sidney Lumet dies aged 86
• Sony joins James Bond rescue
• Catherine Zeta-Jones checks into...
The big story
You wait two years for a female director at Cannes and then four come along at once. The French film festival has corrected last year's gender imbalance, which saw not one single female director selected for the main competition list, by lining up a quartet of women contenders. British director, Lynne Ramsay made the cut with We Need to Talk About Kevin, alongside Japan's Naomi Kawase, France's Maiwenn Le Besco and the Australian Julia Leigh. Whether any of them can match Jane Campion and become only the second female winner of the Palme D'Or remains to be seen, but if they do walk off with the booty they'll need to beware pirates.
In other news
• Sidney Lumet dies aged 86
• Sony joins James Bond rescue
• Catherine Zeta-Jones checks into...
- 4/14/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
A 3D porn film takes the Chinese into bed while Penrith seduces Eddie Izzard
The big story
Two stories stand out this week, both of them concerned in their own way with people power, and together offering a succinct explanation of the enduring magnetism of cinema. First came the news (particularly well read on our site – can't think why) that Chinese, er, cineastes are flocking to Hong Kong feast their eyes on what is claimed as the world's first 3D porn film.
Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy based on the classic erotic text, The Carnal Prayer Mat, promises to "leave audiences feeling like they are sitting right there at the edge of the bed". That might not sound so appealing to everyone, but apparently in China the idea has gone down a storm. With the ruling regime's stance on adults' rights to view sexual content being what it is, however,...
The big story
Two stories stand out this week, both of them concerned in their own way with people power, and together offering a succinct explanation of the enduring magnetism of cinema. First came the news (particularly well read on our site – can't think why) that Chinese, er, cineastes are flocking to Hong Kong feast their eyes on what is claimed as the world's first 3D porn film.
Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy based on the classic erotic text, The Carnal Prayer Mat, promises to "leave audiences feeling like they are sitting right there at the edge of the bed". That might not sound so appealing to everyone, but apparently in China the idea has gone down a storm. With the ruling regime's stance on adults' rights to view sexual content being what it is, however,...
- 4/7/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Onir’s I Am will open the 13th edition of the London Asian Film festival which will take place from March 18-27, 2011.
The other films that will be screened in the festival are Dilip Mehta’s Cooking With Stella, Murali Subramani’s Natural Selection, Sona Jain’s For Real, Rakesh Mehta’s Khudakhushi, Avantika Hari’s Land Gold Women, Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli Live, Laurens Corneliz Postma’s The Interview, S M Raju’s Varnam, Rajeev Patil’s Jogwa, Sundaran’s Thittukudi, Andrew Piddington’s Killing of John Lennon, Sander Francken’s BardSongs, Jeet Matharru’s Women from the East, Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, Nayan Padrai’s When Harry tries to Marry and Sudipto Chattopadhyay’s Pankh.
Ajay Naidu’s Ashes will be the closing film of the festival.
The short films which will compete in the festival are : Wild Things by Sandeep Sharma, The Invigilator by Manesh Nesaratnam,...
The other films that will be screened in the festival are Dilip Mehta’s Cooking With Stella, Murali Subramani’s Natural Selection, Sona Jain’s For Real, Rakesh Mehta’s Khudakhushi, Avantika Hari’s Land Gold Women, Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli Live, Laurens Corneliz Postma’s The Interview, S M Raju’s Varnam, Rajeev Patil’s Jogwa, Sundaran’s Thittukudi, Andrew Piddington’s Killing of John Lennon, Sander Francken’s BardSongs, Jeet Matharru’s Women from the East, Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, Nayan Padrai’s When Harry tries to Marry and Sudipto Chattopadhyay’s Pankh.
Ajay Naidu’s Ashes will be the closing film of the festival.
The short films which will compete in the festival are : Wild Things by Sandeep Sharma, The Invigilator by Manesh Nesaratnam,...
- 3/2/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Cinema veers from one extreme to the other when depicting class, but Joanna Hogg's Archipelago is a breath of fresh air
I recently saw one of British cinema's grandest of grandees, Stephen Frears, give a Q&A – alongside film producer Sandy Lieberson – in which he talked about, among other things, Free Cinema – the documentary movement founded in the mid-1950s by the likes of Lindsay Anderson and Karel Reisz. It was, as Frears explained, a pivotal moment for British film – one where young, riled-up directors elected to buck convention and tell stories about ordinary people leading ordinary lives – to carve out a place on screen for the unseen world of factory jobs, fuggy pubs, bedsit rooms and dead dreams.
It's tempting to argue something similar could now be said of Archipelago, the second film from writer-director Joanna Hogg – that it hands precious screen time to a section of society...
I recently saw one of British cinema's grandest of grandees, Stephen Frears, give a Q&A – alongside film producer Sandy Lieberson – in which he talked about, among other things, Free Cinema – the documentary movement founded in the mid-1950s by the likes of Lindsay Anderson and Karel Reisz. It was, as Frears explained, a pivotal moment for British film – one where young, riled-up directors elected to buck convention and tell stories about ordinary people leading ordinary lives – to carve out a place on screen for the unseen world of factory jobs, fuggy pubs, bedsit rooms and dead dreams.
It's tempting to argue something similar could now be said of Archipelago, the second film from writer-director Joanna Hogg – that it hands precious screen time to a section of society...
- 2/25/2011
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
I just finished the book Operation Mincemeat, about one of the best-executed bits of deception ever employed, which was first turned into the book and movie The Man Who Never Was in the 1950s. Long story short: British intelligence - working from an idea pitched by one Ian Fleming - created a phony spy out of a dead man and threw the Nazis off the course of an actual invasion in 1943.
So being in the WWII mindset already, that's probably why this news about Hitler stuck with me. The documentary Swastika was finished by Australian filmmaker Philippe Mora in the 1970s, but thanks to its Cannes premiere - at which a near-riot broke out - the film hasn't been seen much since. But that's about to change.
A remastered and partially redubbed version of Swastika is getting distribution in Germany and the United States, backed by producers Sandy Lieberson and David Puttnam.
So being in the WWII mindset already, that's probably why this news about Hitler stuck with me. The documentary Swastika was finished by Australian filmmaker Philippe Mora in the 1970s, but thanks to its Cannes premiere - at which a near-riot broke out - the film hasn't been seen much since. But that's about to change.
A remastered and partially redubbed version of Swastika is getting distribution in Germany and the United States, backed by producers Sandy Lieberson and David Puttnam.
- 8/2/2010
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Rating: 3/5
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
Producers: Vanessa Philippe, Kerry Deignan Roy, Robert Muratore, Anna Higgs, Alexandre O. Philippe
Featuring: Gary Kurtz, Neil Gaiman, Dave Prowse, Sandy Lieberson, Anthony Waye
The love/hate relationship fans of George Lucas’ work have towards the creator himself run deep and are as intense as they are contradictory. Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary, The People Vs. George Lucas, explores the reasons behind these strong emotions.
Read more on Laff 2010 Review: The People Vs. George Lucas…...
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
Producers: Vanessa Philippe, Kerry Deignan Roy, Robert Muratore, Anna Higgs, Alexandre O. Philippe
Featuring: Gary Kurtz, Neil Gaiman, Dave Prowse, Sandy Lieberson, Anthony Waye
The love/hate relationship fans of George Lucas’ work have towards the creator himself run deep and are as intense as they are contradictory. Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary, The People Vs. George Lucas, explores the reasons behind these strong emotions.
Read more on Laff 2010 Review: The People Vs. George Lucas…...
- 6/28/2010
- by Allison Loring
- GordonandtheWhale
"Stand and deliver, sir!" Dennis Hopper in Philippe Mora's Mad Dog Morgan.
Philippe Mora: Ballad Of A Mad Dog
By
Alex Simon
Born in Paris in 1949, Philippe Mora is a member of one of Australia’s best known artistic families. His parents, Georges Mora and Mirka Mora, migrated to Australia from France in 1951 and settled in Melbourne, where they quickly became key figures on the Melbourne cultural scene. Georges, a wartime resistance fighter, became an influential art dealer, and in 1967 he founded one of the first commercial art galleries in Melbourne, Tolarno Galleries. The Mora family home and restaurants were focal points of Melbourne's bohemian subculture. As a result of this, Philippe and his brothers had what he has described as a "culturally privileged childhood."
Philippe moved to London in late 1967 to pursue painting and filmmaking. He was one of many important Australian artists, writers and others who...
Philippe Mora: Ballad Of A Mad Dog
By
Alex Simon
Born in Paris in 1949, Philippe Mora is a member of one of Australia’s best known artistic families. His parents, Georges Mora and Mirka Mora, migrated to Australia from France in 1951 and settled in Melbourne, where they quickly became key figures on the Melbourne cultural scene. Georges, a wartime resistance fighter, became an influential art dealer, and in 1967 he founded one of the first commercial art galleries in Melbourne, Tolarno Galleries. The Mora family home and restaurants were focal points of Melbourne's bohemian subculture. As a result of this, Philippe and his brothers had what he has described as a "culturally privileged childhood."
Philippe moved to London in late 1967 to pursue painting and filmmaking. He was one of many important Australian artists, writers and others who...
- 12/22/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
London -- Film London, the British capital's film and media agency, has appointed producer Stephen Woolley, exhibition chain Vue Cinema's CEO Timothy Richards and Rob Wilkerson, CEO of Target Media Group to its board.
The trio have been appointed to bring "distinct areas of knowledge and expertise in film production, cinema exhibition and media communications to Film London," the organization said.
Film London chairman Sandy Lieberson said: "In their individual fields, Stephen, Tim and Rob, are at the very top of their game and it is brilliant that Film London will be able to utilize their wealth of skills and knowledge."...
The trio have been appointed to bring "distinct areas of knowledge and expertise in film production, cinema exhibition and media communications to Film London," the organization said.
Film London chairman Sandy Lieberson said: "In their individual fields, Stephen, Tim and Rob, are at the very top of their game and it is brilliant that Film London will be able to utilize their wealth of skills and knowledge."...
- 10/27/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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