George Lucas has a thing for the past. Nearly every movie he's ever directed and/or written takes place in a period setting or, in the case of his most famous creation, "a long time ago." Even the big exception to this trend, his 1971 feature directing debut "Thx 1138," is a film about everyday civilians rebelling against an oppressive system and the tyrannical overseers that uphold it, like so much of the rest of his work.
If one were to ask the man behind "Star Wars" why that is, his answer would be straight and to the point, if not exactly comforting. "No matter who you look at in history, the story is always the same," Lucas told the Chicago Tribune in 2005. "That's what's eerie. It was a little eerie that things have developed the way they have." It's why previous attempts to make fellow sci-fi juggernaut "Star Trek" into...
If one were to ask the man behind "Star Wars" why that is, his answer would be straight and to the point, if not exactly comforting. "No matter who you look at in history, the story is always the same," Lucas told the Chicago Tribune in 2005. "That's what's eerie. It was a little eerie that things have developed the way they have." It's why previous attempts to make fellow sci-fi juggernaut "Star Trek" into...
- 1/11/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
The Fab Four’s first and biggest movie hit comes to 4K Ultra HD! The Beatles brought something new and exciting to 1964 and the world embraced it. This United Artists release was a major event in the first wave of Beatlemania, setting the standard for Swinging London cool; thanks to Richard Lester’s flip approach and the Beatles’ positive energy little in the movie has dated. George Martin’s input for the musical end of things didn’t hurt either. The movie itself never gets old: new generations still respond with enthusiasm. It always looked super on home video, so what does the format boost add to the mix?
A Hard Day’s Night 4K
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 711
1964 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 87 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 18, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr,
Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti,...
A Hard Day’s Night 4K
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 711
1964 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 87 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 18, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr,
Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti,...
- 1/18/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" is still seen by many as the epitome of bleak political satire. More than 50 years after its original release in 1964, the film's absurdist portrayal of the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union remains an unsettling reminder of just how easy it would be for humankind to wipe itself clean off the map through a nuclear catastrophe. And as depressing as I'm making the movie sound, "Dr. Strangelove" really is a darkly comical hoot thanks to its sharp writing, Gilbert Taylor's splendid black-and-white cinematography, and, of course,...
The post The Dr. Strangelove Alternate Ending Few People Have Ever Seen appeared first on /Film.
The post The Dr. Strangelove Alternate Ending Few People Have Ever Seen appeared first on /Film.
- 11/22/2021
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
A supernatural take on The Bad Seed, director Richard Donner’s 1976 thriller about a demonic child boasts a top-notch “old Hollywood” cast including Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Gilbert Taylor (A Hard Day’s Night) did the cinematography and composer Jerry Goldsmith’s work was rewarded with the Academy Award for Best Score. This cash cow spawned three sequels, a 2006 remake and three different TV series.
The post The Omen appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Omen appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 7/7/2021
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Arrow jumps into the 4K Ultra HD bracket with a knockout 40th anniversary presentation of this campy, music-filled and incredibly colorful Dino De Laurentiis spectacle. The impressive package has an endless catalog of extras, plus a second Blu-ray disc with a full-length feature about the film’s one-hit-wonder star Sam J. Jones. Buyers beware — no backup Blu-ray disc of the feature is included. In every other respect, “Go! Flash! Go!”
Flash Gordon
4K Ultra HD with Hdr
Arrow Video
1980 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date August 18, 2020 / 40.26 (Amazon)
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol, Ornella Muti, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde, Mariangela Melato, Deep Roy.
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
Production Designer: Danilo Donati
Film Editor: Malcolm Cooke
Original Music: Howard Blake
Written by Michael Allin & Lorenzo Semple Jr. from characters by Alex Raymond
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Directed by Mike Hodges
First things first: a lot...
Flash Gordon
4K Ultra HD with Hdr
Arrow Video
1980 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date August 18, 2020 / 40.26 (Amazon)
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol, Ornella Muti, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde, Mariangela Melato, Deep Roy.
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
Production Designer: Danilo Donati
Film Editor: Malcolm Cooke
Original Music: Howard Blake
Written by Michael Allin & Lorenzo Semple Jr. from characters by Alex Raymond
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Directed by Mike Hodges
First things first: a lot...
- 9/8/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Graham Greene’s tense crime tale is as important as his classic The Third Man but nowhere near as well known. Down Brighton way the race-track boys have sharp ways of solving disputes and terrorizing the common folk — think ‘straight razor.’ Richard Attenborough’s breakthrough film is also a showcase for Hermoine Baddelely and a marvelous newcomer that every horror fan loves even if they don’t know her name, Carol Marsh. Kino’s disc has a Tim Lucas commentary; this review balances thoughts about mercy and damnation, with an extra insight about a piece of ‘stick candy’ unfamiliar to us Yanks.
Brighton Rock
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 92 min. / Street Date May 5, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Richard Attenborough, Carol Marsh, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell, Harcourt Williams, Wylie Watson, Nigel Stock, Virginia Winter, Reginald Purdell, George Carney, Charles Goldner, Alan Wheatley.
Cinematography: Harry Waxman
Camera operator:...
Brighton Rock
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 92 min. / Street Date May 5, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Richard Attenborough, Carol Marsh, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell, Harcourt Williams, Wylie Watson, Nigel Stock, Virginia Winter, Reginald Purdell, George Carney, Charles Goldner, Alan Wheatley.
Cinematography: Harry Waxman
Camera operator:...
- 5/9/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
(Welcome to The Movies That Made Star Wars, a series where we explore the films and television properties that inspired George Lucas’s iconic universe. In this edition: The documentary film stylings of cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, including Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day’s Night, and The Omen.) George Lucas is a big fan of documentary filmmaking. It’s […]
The post How the Original ‘Star Wars’ Cinematographer Defined the Saga’s Iconic Look appeared first on /Film.
The post How the Original ‘Star Wars’ Cinematographer Defined the Saga’s Iconic Look appeared first on /Film.
- 11/5/2019
- by Bryan Young
- Slash Film
Is this movie ground zero for Atom-fear science fiction? The Boulting Brothers assemble the very first movie about a nuclear terror plot, without cutting corners or wimping out. The incredibly dry, civilized André Morell must track down a rogue scientist who threatens to nuke London; the entire city must be evacuated. Barry Jones is the meek boffin with a bomb in his satchel. The impressively produced thriller won an Oscar for Best Story; it’s practically a template for the ‘docu-real’ approach of the first Quatermass films. It’s also the link between ordinary postwar thriller intrigues and the high-powered, science fiction- styled terrors to come.
Seven Days to Noon
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1950 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 97 min. / Street Date November 5, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Barry Jones, Olive Sloane, André Morell, Sheila Manahan, Hugh Cross, Joan Hickson, Ronald Adam, Marie Ney, Wyndham Goldie, Russell Waters, Martin Boddey,...
Seven Days to Noon
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1950 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 97 min. / Street Date November 5, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Barry Jones, Olive Sloane, André Morell, Sheila Manahan, Hugh Cross, Joan Hickson, Ronald Adam, Marie Ney, Wyndham Goldie, Russell Waters, Martin Boddey,...
- 11/2/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the American Society of Cinematographers has released a list of the 100 best shot films of the 20th century.
This list was released to "showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.” Here's how the list was put together:
The process of cultivating the 100 films began with Asc members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the Asc, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.
Here's a little sizzle reel that was cut together showcasing some of the films on the list:
It's hard to argue with the Top 10 films,...
This list was released to "showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.” Here's how the list was put together:
The process of cultivating the 100 films began with Asc members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the Asc, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.
Here's a little sizzle reel that was cut together showcasing some of the films on the list:
It's hard to argue with the Top 10 films,...
- 1/9/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
A supernatural take on The Bad Seed, director Richard Donner’s 1976 thriller about a demonic child boasts a top-notch “old Hollywood” cast including Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Gilbert Taylor (A Hard Day’s Night) did the cinematography and composer Jerry Goldsmith’s work was rewarded with the Academy Award for Best Score. This cash cow spawned three sequels, a 2006 remake and three different tv series.
The post The Omen appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Omen appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 8/24/2018
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
On this day (April 21st) in history as it relates to showbiz...
Anthony Quinn
1904 Oscar winning cinematographer Daniel L Fapp (West Side Story and Desire Under the Elms, among many films) born in Kansas City
1914 Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor born in England. Though he was BAFTA nominated Oscar never bit despite high profile films and collaborations with famous directors. Credits include: Repulsion, The Omen, Dr Strangelove, Star Wars, Frenzy, Dracula (1979) and MacBeth
1915 Oscar's all time favorite Mexican actor Anthony Quinn born (Lust for Life, Viva Zapata, Wild is the Wind, Zorba the Greek, La Strada, etcetera)
1918 "The Red Baron," the famous German fighter pilot, shot down in World War I. Snoopy in Peanuts fantasizes about him repeatedly and he's also been a character in many films including Wings, Hell's Angels, and Darling Lili ...
Anthony Quinn
1904 Oscar winning cinematographer Daniel L Fapp (West Side Story and Desire Under the Elms, among many films) born in Kansas City
1914 Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor born in England. Though he was BAFTA nominated Oscar never bit despite high profile films and collaborations with famous directors. Credits include: Repulsion, The Omen, Dr Strangelove, Star Wars, Frenzy, Dracula (1979) and MacBeth
1915 Oscar's all time favorite Mexican actor Anthony Quinn born (Lust for Life, Viva Zapata, Wild is the Wind, Zorba the Greek, La Strada, etcetera)
1918 "The Red Baron," the famous German fighter pilot, shot down in World War I. Snoopy in Peanuts fantasizes about him repeatedly and he's also been a character in many films including Wings, Hell's Angels, and Darling Lili ...
- 4/21/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Anytime Paul Thomas Anderson releases a new movie is cause for celebration, but this year doubly so.
Via Jeff Sneider, Eic of The Tracking Board, it was announced yesterday at the Focus Features presentation during Cinema Con that the writer-director’s next film, the yet-to-be-officially-titled collaboration with Daniel Day Lewis about a royal dressmaker in the 1950s, will be released here in the Us on Christmas Day 2017.
No footage was shown and that pesky working title — Phantom Thread — was neither confirmed nor denied, but by all accounts production is going swimmingly and an end-date is in sight. As I mentioned above, the film deals with a dressmaker, played by Day Lewis, but specifically the film “illuminates the life behind the curtain of an uncompromising dressmaker commissioned by royalty and high society.” Other members of the cast include Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies), Richard Graham (Titanic), and Vicky Krieps (Hanna). It wasn’t revealed whether the December 25th release...
Via Jeff Sneider, Eic of The Tracking Board, it was announced yesterday at the Focus Features presentation during Cinema Con that the writer-director’s next film, the yet-to-be-officially-titled collaboration with Daniel Day Lewis about a royal dressmaker in the 1950s, will be released here in the Us on Christmas Day 2017.
No footage was shown and that pesky working title — Phantom Thread — was neither confirmed nor denied, but by all accounts production is going swimmingly and an end-date is in sight. As I mentioned above, the film deals with a dressmaker, played by Day Lewis, but specifically the film “illuminates the life behind the curtain of an uncompromising dressmaker commissioned by royalty and high society.” Other members of the cast include Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies), Richard Graham (Titanic), and Vicky Krieps (Hanna). It wasn’t revealed whether the December 25th release...
- 3/30/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Plus: A lot more ‘Alien,’ the first photo of Luke Skywalker, and the weekend’s best shots.
This week marks the start of a great new chapter in the history of Film School Rejects/One Perfect Shot, as we’re pleased to present the premiere episodes of our first three shows under the new One Perfect Podcast banner.
Up first and available today, After the Credits, a new kind of movie review show hosted by Fsr Columnist Matthew Monagle. Each week Matthew will be joined by a special guest to help him explore our expectations of certain films and how they impact the way we feel about what we ultimately see in theaters. This week the special guest is Fsr Chief Film Critic Rob Hunter, and the film in question is The Belko Experment.
Subscribe to One Perfect Pod: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS | Soundcloud
Then on Wednesday, March 22nd, the first episode of Shot by Shot drops. Hosted...
This week marks the start of a great new chapter in the history of Film School Rejects/One Perfect Shot, as we’re pleased to present the premiere episodes of our first three shows under the new One Perfect Podcast banner.
Up first and available today, After the Credits, a new kind of movie review show hosted by Fsr Columnist Matthew Monagle. Each week Matthew will be joined by a special guest to help him explore our expectations of certain films and how they impact the way we feel about what we ultimately see in theaters. This week the special guest is Fsr Chief Film Critic Rob Hunter, and the film in question is The Belko Experment.
Subscribe to One Perfect Pod: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS | Soundcloud
Then on Wednesday, March 22nd, the first episode of Shot by Shot drops. Hosted...
- 3/20/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
“Purity Of Essence”
By Raymond Benson
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is such an iconic motion picture that most readers of Cinema Retro, I would bet, already own a copy of this brilliant keepsake of the 1960s on DVD or Blu-ray. The film has been released several times before, but now it gets the Criterion treatment. Believe me—fans of the movie and of director Stanley Kubrick will still want to get this edition. It is definitely an upgrade in quality and the disk also comes with a plethora of fascinating supplements and some terrific goodies in the packaging.
Unless you’ve haven’t been paying attention to the lists of Great Movies You Should See Before You Die, you know that Dr. Strangelove is the story of how an air force general (Sterling Hayden) goes “a little funny in the head.
By Raymond Benson
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is such an iconic motion picture that most readers of Cinema Retro, I would bet, already own a copy of this brilliant keepsake of the 1960s on DVD or Blu-ray. The film has been released several times before, but now it gets the Criterion treatment. Believe me—fans of the movie and of director Stanley Kubrick will still want to get this edition. It is definitely an upgrade in quality and the disk also comes with a plethora of fascinating supplements and some terrific goodies in the packaging.
Unless you’ve haven’t been paying attention to the lists of Great Movies You Should See Before You Die, you know that Dr. Strangelove is the story of how an air force general (Sterling Hayden) goes “a little funny in the head.
- 6/30/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Criterion's special edition of Stanley Kubrick's doomsday comedy is more powerful than ever in a 4K remaster; and it even comes with a top-secret mission profile package and a partial-contents survival kit. A Kubrick fan can have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 821 1964 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 95 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 28, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones, Tracy Reed Cinematography Gilbert Taylor Production Designer Ken Adam Art Direction Peter Murton Film Editor Anthony Harvey Original Music Laurie Johnson Written by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George from his book Red Alert Produced by Stanley Kubrick, Leon Minoff Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When I heard that Criterion was putting out a Blu-ray of Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb I thought that there already was a disc out there from The Collection. Nope, Sony released a Blu-ray in 2009, and back around 2000, a DVD. I was thinking of a deluxe laserdisc from Criterion sometime in the early 1990s. I remember being impressed by its extras, which included documentary materials about the Bomb in the Cold War years. Potential new fans of Kubrick's wickedly funny movie are being born every year, which leaves those of us for whom Strangelove was an important part of growing up having to remind ourselves just how good it still is. I remember recording the soundtrack off TV in high school and memorizing all of the dialogue; this has to be the most quotable movie of its decade. I also can remember my father's reaction when we watched it together on network TV, ABC, I think. An Air Force lifer who wouldn't discuss politics (or much of anything), the Old Sarge had little use for 'defeatist' movies like On the Beach. But he thought the premise of Seven Days in May wasn't really farfetched, having worked with Hap Arnold and Curtis LeMay. He shook his head after seeing Dr. Strangelove but I could tell that he found it very funny. It's too bad the two of us couldn't have gotten our senses of humor more in sync -- as soon as I wore my hair long, I think he stopped trusting me. I believe that Dr. Strangelove is one of few movies that 'made a difference' in that it redirected American public opinion about a major life issue. From that point forward only the ignorant and Shoot First fanatics talked about nuclear war as win-able, at least not until the neo-con Millennium. 1963 audiences had little use for suspect 'pacifist' movies that ended in masochistic doom, like On the Beach. The nuclear crisis was such a hot topic that that the low-key English science fiction film The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a surprise hit. Strangelove is more realistic than the straight atom nightmare movies. We're told that when Ronald Reagan was briefed at the start of his first term in office, he asked where the White House elevator to the War Room was. He figured it was there because he saw it in the movie. The decision to opt for broad comedy was Kubrick's inspired stroke. Dr. Strangelove may be the first hit film that was a bona-fide black comedy; I don't recall anybody even using the expression before it came out. It's not a crazy comedy where anything funny is okay. The backbone of the story remains 100% serious, while the jokes relentlessly demolish the death-cult logic of our Nuclear Deterrent. Kubrick and Terry Southern populate Peter George's credible cold-sweat crisis with insane caricatures given ridiculous names. The scary part is that, no matter how stupid they behave, none are really that exaggerated. Peter Sellers serves triple duty in a trio of characterizations, effectively outdoing previous champion film chameleon Alec Guinness. George C. Scott steals the show as an infantile Air Force General who acts like a Looney Tunes cartoon character. And the rest of the inspired cast nails their highly original quasi-comic characters. Every joke is a gallows joke; we're never allowed to forget that we all have an atomic noose around our necks. I almost envy the dead viewers still unfamiliar with Dr. Strangelove, as seeing it for the first time was a mind-opening experience. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), the commander of Burpelson Air Force Base, orders a flight of B-52s to attack Russia. He then seals off Burpelson to prevent a recall of the planes. Exchange officer Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) tries to talk him into divulging the recall code. Holding court in the War Room, President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) is horrified to discover that such a Snafu is even possible. He orders General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) to take Burpelson Air Base by force and recall the planes, and gets on the hotline with the Soviet Premier. Up in the lead B-52, Major 'King' Kong (Slim Pickens) receives Ripper's orders, coded 'Wing Attack Plan R.' He urges his crew to avoid Russian defenses and reach their primary target, while Turgidson tries to talk Muffley into launching an all-out attack. Advising in the War Room is ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove, a grinning theoretician already fantasizing about the sexual recreation for the ruling elite in the VIP bomb shelters, where America's chosen high officials will be living for the next 93 years. Dr. Strangelove divides its time between three main locations, each with its own deadly serious function and each overlaid with a different comedic tone. In his locked executive office in the Alaskan Air Force Base, the sexually obsessed American General Ripper faces off with a veddy proper English officer in a farcical one-act. Beady-eyed and intense in his anti-Communist convictions, Sterling Hayden contrasts beautifully with Seller's genial Group Captain, who can't fathom the depth of his commanding officer's madness. The action in the B-52 is a throwback to those gung-ho WW2 action films in which a racially and ethnically diverse attack team uses brains and guts to barrel through their suicide mission. Even though their pilot is a cowboy clown (Slim Pickens doing his only characterization, Slim Pickens) they're an admirable bunch, seemingly the only humans capable of doing anything without red tape or Coca-Cola machines getting in their way. The horror is that our heroes' mission is totally against every moral precept ever imagined. The docu feeling in the B-52 is further amplified by the gritty newsreel-like footage of the taking of Burpelson Afb, with American troops fighting American troops. In 1964 these were traumatic, subversive scenes. U.S. troops on film are supposed to fight for freedom and righteousness, not kill each other. Kubrick has the audacity to place in the middle of it all a big sign that reads, 'Peace is our Profession.' The grainy authenticity of these scenes would come back to haunt us when similar footage started being seen nightly on television, fresh from Vietnam. The center of activities is the War Room, a Camelot-like round table of Death located in the basement of the White House. The rational President Merkin Muffley trips over an ideological roadblock in the form of Buck Turgidson, a gum-chewing military nutcase itching to go to war and overjoyed that Jack Ripper has 'exceeded his authority.' The President is hardly in charge of foreign policy, and none of fifty advisors come to his aid with any original thinking. An amateur among experts, Muffley must be shepherded through protocol by an assistant. Here's where Southern and Kubrick make their biggest points, basically asserting that a showdown with the Russkies is inevitable because the American stance is a military one -- Sac just wants the peacenik in the Oval Office to get out of their way. The comedy is all over the place, and it's a miracle that it works. The stand-up humor on the hot line to Moscow is very much like a Bob Newhart routine. At Burpelson, it's the Goon Show all over again. Sellers' Mandrake cannot sway General Ripper, and the moronic Major Bat Guano (Keenan Wynn) suspects the Raf officer of being a 'deviated prevert.' Up in the bomber, Mad Magazine craziness is grafted onto combat realism. Previous looks at the Air Force's flying deterrent were enlistment booster films like Strategic Air Command. Kubrick drove his English craftsmen to fake the entire bomber interior right down to the switches and gauges. The aerial combat is more realistic than that in escapist films, even with inadequate models used for exteriors of the jet bomber in flight. Dr. Strangelove maintains a nervous tension between absurd comedy and morbid unease. Kubrick's main career themes -- sexual madness, treacherous technology and the folly of human planning -- come into strong relief. We're motivated to root for the fliers that are going to destroy the world. Then we fret over the President's pitiful lack of control. Dour, glowering Russian Ambassador De Sadesky (Peter Bull) informs the War Room about his country's solution to the costly Arms Race, the dreaded Doomsday Machine. Security advisor Dr. Strangelove enters the film in the last act to serve as sort of an angel of Death. Based loosely on Rand-corporation experts that calculated eventualities in nuclear war scenarios, Sellers' vision of Strangelove is a throwback to German Expressionism. A Mabuse in a wheelchair, he's black-gloved like the brilliant but mad Rotwang of Metropolis. Strangelove enters like the specter of Death itself; his grin looks like a skull. Contemplating 'megadeaths' gives him sexual pleasure. The detonation of the first bomb seems to liberate Strangelove, and he finds he can walk again. The character is straight from the Siegfried Kracauer playbook. The evil of nuclear war has restored the representative of apocalyptic Nazi vengeance to full power. Twenty years after his death, we all get to join Hitler in his suicide bunker. First-time viewers are usually floored by the audacious Dr. Strangelove. Only the truly uninformed will not recognize baritone James Earl Jones as one of Major Kong's flight crew. Those going back for a repeated peek will derive added enjoyment from Kubrick's deft juggling of his several visual styles and his avoidance of anything that might deflate tension: we hear about the recall code being issued but are spared any view of the responsible military personnel that must have sent it. Some of the best fun is finding details in designer Ken Adam's impressive War Room, such as the pies already laid out in preparation for the aborted pie-fight finale. Even better is watching the War room extras as they strain to maintain straight faces no matter how funny Sellers and Scott get; that contrast is what makes the comedy so brilliant. Watch Peter Bull carefully. In one extended take he starts to smile at Sellers, more than once. He catches himself and then is clearly on the verge of cracking up, forcing Kubrick to cut away. The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is the expected sterling transfer of this Kubrick classic, a 4K digital transfer. I put it up against Sony's old Blu-ray and the difference is not so great as to recommend that a trade-up is necessary. However, it looks extremely good. The Kubrick faithful out there will be thinking, 'I must not allow a disc shelf gap.' The HD picture makes quite a bit of difference in understanding Kubrick's photographic strategy. Not only do the hand-held Burpelson combat sequences approximate the look of documentary footage, a more contrasty and grainy film stock has been used. Switching "film looks" later became a fad for directors looking to be viewed as artists. The idea perhaps reached its zenith in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Back in 1964 the effect of imitating a news film look was quite stunning -- audiences reacted to the combat scenes as if they were real. I'm glad that we're finally beyond the frustrating early DVD years, when someone (at Warner Home Video?) claimed that Stanley Kubrick insisted that his films be shown at the old 1:33 aspect ratio for TV and disc. Even if they wangled a note from Kubrick to that effect, I still believe that the aspect ratio games were played because Kubrick was too busy to oversee new masters of his films, and Whv wanted to market them in a hurry at a minimum of cost. That's all old news now, but there was also the interesting aspect ratio question concerning Strangelove. At least one disc iteration -- Criterion's laserdisc, I'm fairly sure -- was released in a completely un-original dual-ratio scan. Kubrick apparently said that he preferred to see the War Room scenes at a full-frame 1:37, and so this one transfer of the film popped back and forth between ratios. I've never heard of anything like this before or after. Criterion's British 1:66 framing for this disc is correct, even though the film was probably screened at 1:85 for many of its American play dates. Criterion's new extras begin with interview featurettes with well-chosen spokespeople, like scholars Mick Broderick and Rodney Hill. Kubrick archivist Richard Daniels' piece is quite good, as is an examination of the film's visuals by two of the original camera crew. The son of author Peter George gives an excellent account of his father's life and the adaptation of his novel Red Alert. George reportedly liked the notion of turning his story into a black comedy, especially when his original narrative was changed very little. The stroke of genius was deciding that the entire subject could best be approached as a sick joke. Other extras are repeated from Sony's DVD disc of 2004. A making-of docu interviews several surviving technicians and actors, and a primer on the Cold War atom standoff goes deep into detail. The featurettes have input from Robert McNamara, Spike Lee and Bob Woodward. Critics Roger Ebert and Alexander Walker are also represented. Docu pieces on Peter Sellers and Kubrick appear to suffer from legal restraints disallowing the use of clips from non-Columbia sources. The Peter Sellers show features several choice film clips from the 'fifties, including Sellers' almost perfect take on a William Conrad-like hired killer. We're shown some stills from the legendary The Goon Show, which is not mentioned by name. A Stanley Kubrick career piece that uses UA, MGM and Universal trailers covers a lot of territory a bit too quickly. It does have some nice interview input from Kubrick's partner James B. Harris. Harris has since given terrific interviews on Criterion discs for Kubrick's The Killing and Paths of Glory. Criterion's Curtis Tsui produced those discs as well as this one. An entertaining extra is a pair of vintage 'split screen' fake interviews with Sellers and Scott intended for publicity use. Each actor projects his chosen PR image. They're charming, especially when Sellers takes us on a lightning tour of regional English accents. I wonder if those distinctions have faded, 52 years later? As a pleasant surprise, Curtis Tsui has overseen the creation of a collectable, highly amusing substitute for a standard disc insert booklet. Inside an authentic-looking 'Wing Attack Plan R' envelope, David Bromwich's insert essay is printed in the form of classified orders on two sheets of loose-leaf paper. Terry Southern's hilariously profane 1994 essay on the movie comes in the form of a Playboy parody, illustrated with photos of Tracy Reed as 'Miss Foreign Affairs.' Finally, the disc credits and details are printed in a genuine miniature Russian Phrase Book and Holy Bible, a little bigger than one-inch square. It indeed offers some phrases that I'll have to try on my multi-lingual daughter, like "Where is the toilet?" But the cover Lies, as there's no Bible in there that I could find. Also, no nine packs of chewing gum and no issue of prophylactics. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Dr. Strangelove Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent uncompressed monaural + alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-hd Master Audio Supplements: (from Criterion stats): New interviews with Stanley Kubrick scholars Mick Broderick and Rodney Hill; archivist Richard Daniels; cinematographer and camera innovator Joe Dunton; camera operator Kelvin Pike; and David George, son of Peter George, on whose novel Red Alert the film is based. Excerpts from a 1966 audio interview with Kubrick, conducted by physicist and author Jeremy Bernstein; Four short documentaries about the making of the film, the sociopolitical climate of the period, the work of actor Peter Sellers, and the artistry of Kubrick. Promotional interviews from 1963 with Sellers and actor George C. Scott; excerpt from a 1980 interview with Sellers from NBC's Today show; Trailers; insert essay by scholar David Bromwich and a 1994 article by screenwriter Terry Southern on the making of the film. Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 7, 2016 (5136love)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When I heard that Criterion was putting out a Blu-ray of Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb I thought that there already was a disc out there from The Collection. Nope, Sony released a Blu-ray in 2009, and back around 2000, a DVD. I was thinking of a deluxe laserdisc from Criterion sometime in the early 1990s. I remember being impressed by its extras, which included documentary materials about the Bomb in the Cold War years. Potential new fans of Kubrick's wickedly funny movie are being born every year, which leaves those of us for whom Strangelove was an important part of growing up having to remind ourselves just how good it still is. I remember recording the soundtrack off TV in high school and memorizing all of the dialogue; this has to be the most quotable movie of its decade. I also can remember my father's reaction when we watched it together on network TV, ABC, I think. An Air Force lifer who wouldn't discuss politics (or much of anything), the Old Sarge had little use for 'defeatist' movies like On the Beach. But he thought the premise of Seven Days in May wasn't really farfetched, having worked with Hap Arnold and Curtis LeMay. He shook his head after seeing Dr. Strangelove but I could tell that he found it very funny. It's too bad the two of us couldn't have gotten our senses of humor more in sync -- as soon as I wore my hair long, I think he stopped trusting me. I believe that Dr. Strangelove is one of few movies that 'made a difference' in that it redirected American public opinion about a major life issue. From that point forward only the ignorant and Shoot First fanatics talked about nuclear war as win-able, at least not until the neo-con Millennium. 1963 audiences had little use for suspect 'pacifist' movies that ended in masochistic doom, like On the Beach. The nuclear crisis was such a hot topic that that the low-key English science fiction film The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a surprise hit. Strangelove is more realistic than the straight atom nightmare movies. We're told that when Ronald Reagan was briefed at the start of his first term in office, he asked where the White House elevator to the War Room was. He figured it was there because he saw it in the movie. The decision to opt for broad comedy was Kubrick's inspired stroke. Dr. Strangelove may be the first hit film that was a bona-fide black comedy; I don't recall anybody even using the expression before it came out. It's not a crazy comedy where anything funny is okay. The backbone of the story remains 100% serious, while the jokes relentlessly demolish the death-cult logic of our Nuclear Deterrent. Kubrick and Terry Southern populate Peter George's credible cold-sweat crisis with insane caricatures given ridiculous names. The scary part is that, no matter how stupid they behave, none are really that exaggerated. Peter Sellers serves triple duty in a trio of characterizations, effectively outdoing previous champion film chameleon Alec Guinness. George C. Scott steals the show as an infantile Air Force General who acts like a Looney Tunes cartoon character. And the rest of the inspired cast nails their highly original quasi-comic characters. Every joke is a gallows joke; we're never allowed to forget that we all have an atomic noose around our necks. I almost envy the dead viewers still unfamiliar with Dr. Strangelove, as seeing it for the first time was a mind-opening experience. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), the commander of Burpelson Air Force Base, orders a flight of B-52s to attack Russia. He then seals off Burpelson to prevent a recall of the planes. Exchange officer Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) tries to talk him into divulging the recall code. Holding court in the War Room, President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) is horrified to discover that such a Snafu is even possible. He orders General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) to take Burpelson Air Base by force and recall the planes, and gets on the hotline with the Soviet Premier. Up in the lead B-52, Major 'King' Kong (Slim Pickens) receives Ripper's orders, coded 'Wing Attack Plan R.' He urges his crew to avoid Russian defenses and reach their primary target, while Turgidson tries to talk Muffley into launching an all-out attack. Advising in the War Room is ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove, a grinning theoretician already fantasizing about the sexual recreation for the ruling elite in the VIP bomb shelters, where America's chosen high officials will be living for the next 93 years. Dr. Strangelove divides its time between three main locations, each with its own deadly serious function and each overlaid with a different comedic tone. In his locked executive office in the Alaskan Air Force Base, the sexually obsessed American General Ripper faces off with a veddy proper English officer in a farcical one-act. Beady-eyed and intense in his anti-Communist convictions, Sterling Hayden contrasts beautifully with Seller's genial Group Captain, who can't fathom the depth of his commanding officer's madness. The action in the B-52 is a throwback to those gung-ho WW2 action films in which a racially and ethnically diverse attack team uses brains and guts to barrel through their suicide mission. Even though their pilot is a cowboy clown (Slim Pickens doing his only characterization, Slim Pickens) they're an admirable bunch, seemingly the only humans capable of doing anything without red tape or Coca-Cola machines getting in their way. The horror is that our heroes' mission is totally against every moral precept ever imagined. The docu feeling in the B-52 is further amplified by the gritty newsreel-like footage of the taking of Burpelson Afb, with American troops fighting American troops. In 1964 these were traumatic, subversive scenes. U.S. troops on film are supposed to fight for freedom and righteousness, not kill each other. Kubrick has the audacity to place in the middle of it all a big sign that reads, 'Peace is our Profession.' The grainy authenticity of these scenes would come back to haunt us when similar footage started being seen nightly on television, fresh from Vietnam. The center of activities is the War Room, a Camelot-like round table of Death located in the basement of the White House. The rational President Merkin Muffley trips over an ideological roadblock in the form of Buck Turgidson, a gum-chewing military nutcase itching to go to war and overjoyed that Jack Ripper has 'exceeded his authority.' The President is hardly in charge of foreign policy, and none of fifty advisors come to his aid with any original thinking. An amateur among experts, Muffley must be shepherded through protocol by an assistant. Here's where Southern and Kubrick make their biggest points, basically asserting that a showdown with the Russkies is inevitable because the American stance is a military one -- Sac just wants the peacenik in the Oval Office to get out of their way. The comedy is all over the place, and it's a miracle that it works. The stand-up humor on the hot line to Moscow is very much like a Bob Newhart routine. At Burpelson, it's the Goon Show all over again. Sellers' Mandrake cannot sway General Ripper, and the moronic Major Bat Guano (Keenan Wynn) suspects the Raf officer of being a 'deviated prevert.' Up in the bomber, Mad Magazine craziness is grafted onto combat realism. Previous looks at the Air Force's flying deterrent were enlistment booster films like Strategic Air Command. Kubrick drove his English craftsmen to fake the entire bomber interior right down to the switches and gauges. The aerial combat is more realistic than that in escapist films, even with inadequate models used for exteriors of the jet bomber in flight. Dr. Strangelove maintains a nervous tension between absurd comedy and morbid unease. Kubrick's main career themes -- sexual madness, treacherous technology and the folly of human planning -- come into strong relief. We're motivated to root for the fliers that are going to destroy the world. Then we fret over the President's pitiful lack of control. Dour, glowering Russian Ambassador De Sadesky (Peter Bull) informs the War Room about his country's solution to the costly Arms Race, the dreaded Doomsday Machine. Security advisor Dr. Strangelove enters the film in the last act to serve as sort of an angel of Death. Based loosely on Rand-corporation experts that calculated eventualities in nuclear war scenarios, Sellers' vision of Strangelove is a throwback to German Expressionism. A Mabuse in a wheelchair, he's black-gloved like the brilliant but mad Rotwang of Metropolis. Strangelove enters like the specter of Death itself; his grin looks like a skull. Contemplating 'megadeaths' gives him sexual pleasure. The detonation of the first bomb seems to liberate Strangelove, and he finds he can walk again. The character is straight from the Siegfried Kracauer playbook. The evil of nuclear war has restored the representative of apocalyptic Nazi vengeance to full power. Twenty years after his death, we all get to join Hitler in his suicide bunker. First-time viewers are usually floored by the audacious Dr. Strangelove. Only the truly uninformed will not recognize baritone James Earl Jones as one of Major Kong's flight crew. Those going back for a repeated peek will derive added enjoyment from Kubrick's deft juggling of his several visual styles and his avoidance of anything that might deflate tension: we hear about the recall code being issued but are spared any view of the responsible military personnel that must have sent it. Some of the best fun is finding details in designer Ken Adam's impressive War Room, such as the pies already laid out in preparation for the aborted pie-fight finale. Even better is watching the War room extras as they strain to maintain straight faces no matter how funny Sellers and Scott get; that contrast is what makes the comedy so brilliant. Watch Peter Bull carefully. In one extended take he starts to smile at Sellers, more than once. He catches himself and then is clearly on the verge of cracking up, forcing Kubrick to cut away. The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is the expected sterling transfer of this Kubrick classic, a 4K digital transfer. I put it up against Sony's old Blu-ray and the difference is not so great as to recommend that a trade-up is necessary. However, it looks extremely good. The Kubrick faithful out there will be thinking, 'I must not allow a disc shelf gap.' The HD picture makes quite a bit of difference in understanding Kubrick's photographic strategy. Not only do the hand-held Burpelson combat sequences approximate the look of documentary footage, a more contrasty and grainy film stock has been used. Switching "film looks" later became a fad for directors looking to be viewed as artists. The idea perhaps reached its zenith in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Back in 1964 the effect of imitating a news film look was quite stunning -- audiences reacted to the combat scenes as if they were real. I'm glad that we're finally beyond the frustrating early DVD years, when someone (at Warner Home Video?) claimed that Stanley Kubrick insisted that his films be shown at the old 1:33 aspect ratio for TV and disc. Even if they wangled a note from Kubrick to that effect, I still believe that the aspect ratio games were played because Kubrick was too busy to oversee new masters of his films, and Whv wanted to market them in a hurry at a minimum of cost. That's all old news now, but there was also the interesting aspect ratio question concerning Strangelove. At least one disc iteration -- Criterion's laserdisc, I'm fairly sure -- was released in a completely un-original dual-ratio scan. Kubrick apparently said that he preferred to see the War Room scenes at a full-frame 1:37, and so this one transfer of the film popped back and forth between ratios. I've never heard of anything like this before or after. Criterion's British 1:66 framing for this disc is correct, even though the film was probably screened at 1:85 for many of its American play dates. Criterion's new extras begin with interview featurettes with well-chosen spokespeople, like scholars Mick Broderick and Rodney Hill. Kubrick archivist Richard Daniels' piece is quite good, as is an examination of the film's visuals by two of the original camera crew. The son of author Peter George gives an excellent account of his father's life and the adaptation of his novel Red Alert. George reportedly liked the notion of turning his story into a black comedy, especially when his original narrative was changed very little. The stroke of genius was deciding that the entire subject could best be approached as a sick joke. Other extras are repeated from Sony's DVD disc of 2004. A making-of docu interviews several surviving technicians and actors, and a primer on the Cold War atom standoff goes deep into detail. The featurettes have input from Robert McNamara, Spike Lee and Bob Woodward. Critics Roger Ebert and Alexander Walker are also represented. Docu pieces on Peter Sellers and Kubrick appear to suffer from legal restraints disallowing the use of clips from non-Columbia sources. The Peter Sellers show features several choice film clips from the 'fifties, including Sellers' almost perfect take on a William Conrad-like hired killer. We're shown some stills from the legendary The Goon Show, which is not mentioned by name. A Stanley Kubrick career piece that uses UA, MGM and Universal trailers covers a lot of territory a bit too quickly. It does have some nice interview input from Kubrick's partner James B. Harris. Harris has since given terrific interviews on Criterion discs for Kubrick's The Killing and Paths of Glory. Criterion's Curtis Tsui produced those discs as well as this one. An entertaining extra is a pair of vintage 'split screen' fake interviews with Sellers and Scott intended for publicity use. Each actor projects his chosen PR image. They're charming, especially when Sellers takes us on a lightning tour of regional English accents. I wonder if those distinctions have faded, 52 years later? As a pleasant surprise, Curtis Tsui has overseen the creation of a collectable, highly amusing substitute for a standard disc insert booklet. Inside an authentic-looking 'Wing Attack Plan R' envelope, David Bromwich's insert essay is printed in the form of classified orders on two sheets of loose-leaf paper. Terry Southern's hilariously profane 1994 essay on the movie comes in the form of a Playboy parody, illustrated with photos of Tracy Reed as 'Miss Foreign Affairs.' Finally, the disc credits and details are printed in a genuine miniature Russian Phrase Book and Holy Bible, a little bigger than one-inch square. It indeed offers some phrases that I'll have to try on my multi-lingual daughter, like "Where is the toilet?" But the cover Lies, as there's no Bible in there that I could find. Also, no nine packs of chewing gum and no issue of prophylactics. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Dr. Strangelove Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent uncompressed monaural + alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-hd Master Audio Supplements: (from Criterion stats): New interviews with Stanley Kubrick scholars Mick Broderick and Rodney Hill; archivist Richard Daniels; cinematographer and camera innovator Joe Dunton; camera operator Kelvin Pike; and David George, son of Peter George, on whose novel Red Alert the film is based. Excerpts from a 1966 audio interview with Kubrick, conducted by physicist and author Jeremy Bernstein; Four short documentaries about the making of the film, the sociopolitical climate of the period, the work of actor Peter Sellers, and the artistry of Kubrick. Promotional interviews from 1963 with Sellers and actor George C. Scott; excerpt from a 1980 interview with Sellers from NBC's Today show; Trailers; insert essay by scholar David Bromwich and a 1994 article by screenwriter Terry Southern on the making of the film. Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 7, 2016 (5136love)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/11/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Lucasfilm
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit cinemas, the initial reaction was one of disappointment (if not quite the mass hatred which that evolved into), although not without a few clear positives. The story got thrashed for its reliance on pseudo-politics, the acting was found more wooden than an Ewok city and everybody finally agreed with Harrison Ford that George Lucas might not be the best wordsmith. But one thing everyone could find time to praise was the visuals.
The world Lucas created for Star Wars is phenomenal, an oft-described used future that serves as a fantasy realm of knights and rogues, and is so expertly realised that even cynics (be they prequel haters or those who “don’t get” the saga in general), can’t deny that the galaxy far, far away looks great.
That’d be all for nothing, though, if it was for the cinematography,...
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit cinemas, the initial reaction was one of disappointment (if not quite the mass hatred which that evolved into), although not without a few clear positives. The story got thrashed for its reliance on pseudo-politics, the acting was found more wooden than an Ewok city and everybody finally agreed with Harrison Ford that George Lucas might not be the best wordsmith. But one thing everyone could find time to praise was the visuals.
The world Lucas created for Star Wars is phenomenal, an oft-described used future that serves as a fantasy realm of knights and rogues, and is so expertly realised that even cynics (be they prequel haters or those who “don’t get” the saga in general), can’t deny that the galaxy far, far away looks great.
That’d be all for nothing, though, if it was for the cinematography,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Alex Leadbeater
- Obsessed with Film
2006 American Society of Cinematographers winners: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on February 26, 2006. Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases * Dion Beebe, Asc, Acs for Memoirs of a Geisha Robert Elswit, Asc for Good Night and Good Luck. Andrew Lesnie, Asc, Acs for King Kong Wally Pfister, Asc for Batman Begins Rodrigo Prieto, Asc, AMC for Brokeback Mountain Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in TV movie/miniseries/pilot Alan Caso, Asc for Into the West/"Wheel to the Stars" (TNT) Thomas A. Del Ruth, Asc for Code Breakers (Espn) * Robbie Greenberg, Asc for Warm Springs (HBO) Jan Kiesser, Asc, Csc for Reefer Madness (Showtime) Bill Roe, Asc for Faith of My Fathers (A&E) Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Television Series (one episode) John Aronson for "Freefall"/Without a Trace (CBS) * Nathan Hope for "Who Shot Sherlock?"/CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS) Jeffrey Jur, Asc for "Los Moscos"/Carnivale (HBO) John C. Newby,...
- 9/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Star Wars franchise is going strong 38 years later. But what about the artists and filmmakers who helped make the 1977 original a hit?
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
- 4/22/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
It amazes me that I still come across stuff that I've never seen from George Lucas' original Star Wars films. The Internet is truly a magical tool of greatness. Thanks to Eyes On Cinema we have some rare and extremely cool behind-the-scenes footage from the set of Star Wars: A New Hope. There's no audio for the video, but don't let that stop you from watching it! Here's a description of what the video contains:
The first half of the (silent) clip shows a 30-something George Lucas conferring with cinematographer Gilbert Taylor before discussing a scene — cut from the final film — in which Mark Hamill (Luke Sykwalker), Garrick Hagon (Biggs Darklighter) and Koo Stark traipse around the Tatooine settlement of Anchorhead. The second half of the clip shows crew members operating the Wed-15 repair droid — a much fancier version of the Wed-15-77 that Luke and his Uncle...
The first half of the (silent) clip shows a 30-something George Lucas conferring with cinematographer Gilbert Taylor before discussing a scene — cut from the final film — in which Mark Hamill (Luke Sykwalker), Garrick Hagon (Biggs Darklighter) and Koo Stark traipse around the Tatooine settlement of Anchorhead. The second half of the clip shows crew members operating the Wed-15 repair droid — a much fancier version of the Wed-15-77 that Luke and his Uncle...
- 12/20/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Macbeth was the first film Roman Polanski made following the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, and friends at the hands of the Manson family. At the time he'd been working on the sci-fi thriller The Day of the Dolphin, which would later be made by Mike Nichols. It was during a skiing trip arranged by Victor Lownes, a subsequent producer of the film, Polanski made the decision Macbeth would be his next film. It was a decision he made feeling his next film "should be something serious, not a comedy... something with some depth." Polanski would team with Kenneth Tynan to write the screenplay and, thanks to urging from Lownes, Hugh Hefner and Playboy would eventually serve as the film's producer after no one else would touch it. As Polanski notes in an included 60-minute documentary on this new Criterion Blu-ray release, to that point there had only been...
- 10/15/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Macbeth
Written by Roman Polanski and Kenneth Tynan
Directed by Roman Polanski
UK, 1971
Following the success of Rosemary’s Baby in 1968, and prior to what is arguably still his greatest film, Chinatown (1974), Roman Polanski made three curious filmmaking choices. One was the international coproduction and rarely discussed What? (1972), one was the racing documentary Weekend of a Champion (1972), and the third, which actually came before these two, was Macbeth (1971). It is obviously not that a Shakespearean adaptation in itself is unusual, but rather that it so seemingly diverted from the films that were garnering the young Polanski his worldwide acclaim: taut thrillers like The Knife in the Water (1962), Repulsion (1965), Cul-De-Sac (1966), and Rosemary’s Baby. Yet in Macbeth, there are a number of characteristic Polanski touches — in story and style — harkening back to these previous works and in many ways pointing toward those to come.
Don’t be fooled by the Playboy...
Written by Roman Polanski and Kenneth Tynan
Directed by Roman Polanski
UK, 1971
Following the success of Rosemary’s Baby in 1968, and prior to what is arguably still his greatest film, Chinatown (1974), Roman Polanski made three curious filmmaking choices. One was the international coproduction and rarely discussed What? (1972), one was the racing documentary Weekend of a Champion (1972), and the third, which actually came before these two, was Macbeth (1971). It is obviously not that a Shakespearean adaptation in itself is unusual, but rather that it so seemingly diverted from the films that were garnering the young Polanski his worldwide acclaim: taut thrillers like The Knife in the Water (1962), Repulsion (1965), Cul-De-Sac (1966), and Rosemary’s Baby. Yet in Macbeth, there are a number of characteristic Polanski touches — in story and style — harkening back to these previous works and in many ways pointing toward those to come.
Don’t be fooled by the Playboy...
- 9/30/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
The year is 1964 and Beatlemania is in full swing. The biggest band on the planet are about to make their big screen debut. The film is A Hard Day’s Night, a seminal piece of filmmaking that shows The Beatles as they’ve never been seen before.
To celebrate its 50th Anniversary the film will be presented in a new 4k digital restoration approved by director Richard Lester, with three audio options - a monoaural soundtrack in addition to newly created stereo and 5.1 surround mixes supervised by sound producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios. The film will be in cinemas, on-demand and available to download from 4 July, followed by a special edition Blu-ray and two-disc DVD release on 21 July 2014, courtesy of Second Sight Films.
A Hard Day’s Night will have an Extended Run at BFI Southbank...
The year is 1964 and Beatlemania is in full swing. The biggest band on the planet are about to make their big screen debut. The film is A Hard Day’s Night, a seminal piece of filmmaking that shows The Beatles as they’ve never been seen before.
To celebrate its 50th Anniversary the film will be presented in a new 4k digital restoration approved by director Richard Lester, with three audio options - a monoaural soundtrack in addition to newly created stereo and 5.1 surround mixes supervised by sound producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios. The film will be in cinemas, on-demand and available to download from 4 July, followed by a special edition Blu-ray and two-disc DVD release on 21 July 2014, courtesy of Second Sight Films.
A Hard Day’s Night will have an Extended Run at BFI Southbank...
- 7/2/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t have a deep seeded love for the fab four? How could anyone resist those Liverpool lovelies, with their matching suits, Rickenbackers, mop tops and an ever growing catalogue of unbelievable hooks? It’s possible that before 1964, anyone outside of Britain might not have heard of The Beatles, but after A Hard Day’s Night took international cinemas by storm, there was no denying it – the British invasion had begun, and John, Paul, George and Ringo were the faces of this new pop movement, a new set of idols for teens to fawn over and an absolute force of creatively catchy songwriting. Helping craft and simultaneously critique their cheeky rock star image, Richard Lester’s monumental faux day-in-the-life documentary of the band became a comedic musical masterpiece that set the blueprint for music videos decades before Video Killed the Radio Star set us off into the abyss of MTV.
- 6/30/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Enemy What would make this a more interesting release would be an audio commentary, but there isn't one. As interesting as this film is and as likely as I am to watch it again, in this day and age, if you aren't going to give me any added incentive to buy a DVD/Blu-ray that I'm only likely to watch once or twice ever again... why would I buy itc
Blood Ties I did not enjoy this movie when I saw it in Cannes last year, but it has been edited down since, by about 15 minutes or so I believe, which could make it a more interesting watch as it was a film that either needed to be about 15 minutes shorter or two hours longer. You can read my original review right here, though do know the movie I reviewed is not the one on this disc.
Winter's Tale This...
Blood Ties I did not enjoy this movie when I saw it in Cannes last year, but it has been edited down since, by about 15 minutes or so I believe, which could make it a more interesting watch as it was a film that either needed to be about 15 minutes shorter or two hours longer. You can read my original review right here, though do know the movie I reviewed is not the one on this disc.
Winter's Tale This...
- 6/24/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
They Bought Us Love
By Raymond Benson
Released in the summer of 1964, A Hard Day’s Night, starring The Beatles and directed by Richard Lester, is arguably the second most influential British film of that decade (the first being Goldfinger, coincidentally released the same year.). Why? For one thing, it brought The Beatles to a worldwide audience that was just getting to know them through their music. Secondly, it spawned imitations and knock-offs (The Monkees, anyone?) and is arguably the genesis of music videos—where would MTV have been without it? Thirdly, the film itself was innovative, fresh, and surprisingly funny (those long-haired boys from Liverpool could actually act!).
One of the best things about the Criterion Collection’s new deluxe box set of the film (dual Blu-ray and DVD, three discs) is the short extra, On the Road to “A Hard Day’s Night,” an interview with author Mark Lewisohn,...
By Raymond Benson
Released in the summer of 1964, A Hard Day’s Night, starring The Beatles and directed by Richard Lester, is arguably the second most influential British film of that decade (the first being Goldfinger, coincidentally released the same year.). Why? For one thing, it brought The Beatles to a worldwide audience that was just getting to know them through their music. Secondly, it spawned imitations and knock-offs (The Monkees, anyone?) and is arguably the genesis of music videos—where would MTV have been without it? Thirdly, the film itself was innovative, fresh, and surprisingly funny (those long-haired boys from Liverpool could actually act!).
One of the best things about the Criterion Collection’s new deluxe box set of the film (dual Blu-ray and DVD, three discs) is the short extra, On the Road to “A Hard Day’s Night,” an interview with author Mark Lewisohn,...
- 6/16/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The end is here – if someone asked you what the most important movie musical of all time was, it would come from this portion of the list. Obviously, it’s all subjective, but it’s difficult to make a case against the influence of these films on our culture and the industry as a whole. So, cue the orchestra and practice your dance moves, because the closing number is here.
courtesy of rowthree.com
10. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Directed by John Badham
Signature Song: “Stayin’ Alive” (http://youtu.be/Fa9n7GirhsI)
After making a name for himself with TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” John Travolta became a star with 1977′s cultural landmark Saturday Night Fever, a dance musical where Travolta plays Tony Manero, a young man who works a dead-end job, but spends his weekends as the king of the dance floor at a Brooklyn disco. The soundtrack, which was...
courtesy of rowthree.com
10. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Directed by John Badham
Signature Song: “Stayin’ Alive” (http://youtu.be/Fa9n7GirhsI)
After making a name for himself with TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” John Travolta became a star with 1977′s cultural landmark Saturday Night Fever, a dance musical where Travolta plays Tony Manero, a young man who works a dead-end job, but spends his weekends as the king of the dance floor at a Brooklyn disco. The soundtrack, which was...
- 5/26/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014
Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, The Beatles began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen – the 1964 comedy musical classic A Hard Day’s Night.
The movie, in which John, Paul, George and Ringo play slapstick versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever.
Directed with raucous, anything-goes verve by Richard Lester (How I Won the War) and featuring a slew of iconic pop anthems, including the title track, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell,” A Hard Day’s Night, which re-conceived the movie musical and exerted an incalculable influence on the music video, is one of...
Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, The Beatles began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen – the 1964 comedy musical classic A Hard Day’s Night.
The movie, in which John, Paul, George and Ringo play slapstick versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever.
Directed with raucous, anything-goes verve by Richard Lester (How I Won the War) and featuring a slew of iconic pop anthems, including the title track, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell,” A Hard Day’s Night, which re-conceived the movie musical and exerted an incalculable influence on the music video, is one of...
- 3/18/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Interview Ryan Lambie 8 Oct 2013 - 06:19
We talk to producer Robert Watts about his remarkable career in movies, which includes the Star Wars trilogy, Roger Rabbit and more...
With a career stretching back to the 1960s, British film producer Robert Watts played a key role in making some of the most influential films of the 1970s. Just a quick glance over his credits as a producer reveals an extraordinary career, which includes Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and its sequels, the first three Indiana Jones films, and the groundbreaking Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Those films are but the tip of the iceberg; before Star Wars, he worked on two James Bond films - Thunderball and You Only Live Twice - collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey, and, in films such as Man In The Middle, Darling and Papillon, worked with such legendary actors as Robert Mitchum,...
We talk to producer Robert Watts about his remarkable career in movies, which includes the Star Wars trilogy, Roger Rabbit and more...
With a career stretching back to the 1960s, British film producer Robert Watts played a key role in making some of the most influential films of the 1970s. Just a quick glance over his credits as a producer reveals an extraordinary career, which includes Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and its sequels, the first three Indiana Jones films, and the groundbreaking Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Those films are but the tip of the iceberg; before Star Wars, he worked on two James Bond films - Thunderball and You Only Live Twice - collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey, and, in films such as Man In The Middle, Darling and Papillon, worked with such legendary actors as Robert Mitchum,...
- 10/7/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Gilbert Taylor, the legendary cinematographer, has passed away at age 99. Although he photographed some of the greatest films of all time, Taylor never received a single Oscar nomination (though he was nominated for two BAFTAs for his work on Polanski's Repulsion and Cul-de-sac). He was among the most revered artists in his trade. Among the classics he worked on: Star Wars, Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day's Night, Dr. Strangelove, Frenzy and The Omen. For more click here...
- 8/28/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Cinematographer on the first Star Wars film who worked with the Boulting Brothers, Hitchcock and Polanski
The British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, who has died aged 99, was best known for his camerawork on the first Star Wars movie (1977). Though its special effects and set designs somewhat stole his thunder, it was Taylor who set the visual tone of George Lucas's six-part space opera.
"I wanted to give it a unique visual style that would distinguish it from other films in the science-fiction genre," Taylor declared. "I wanted Star Wars to have clarity because I don't think space is out of focus … I thought the look of the film should be absolutely clean … But George [Lucas] saw it differently … For example, he asked to set up one shot on the robots with a 300mm camera lens and the sand and sky of the Tunisian desert just meshed together. I told him it wouldn't work,...
The British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, who has died aged 99, was best known for his camerawork on the first Star Wars movie (1977). Though its special effects and set designs somewhat stole his thunder, it was Taylor who set the visual tone of George Lucas's six-part space opera.
"I wanted to give it a unique visual style that would distinguish it from other films in the science-fiction genre," Taylor declared. "I wanted Star Wars to have clarity because I don't think space is out of focus … I thought the look of the film should be absolutely clean … But George [Lucas] saw it differently … For example, he asked to set up one shot on the robots with a 300mm camera lens and the sand and sky of the Tunisian desert just meshed together. I told him it wouldn't work,...
- 8/25/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Influential and respected cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, whose career encompassed the likes of Dr. Strangelove, Star Wars and A Hard Day’s Night, has died at the age of 99.Though he might be best remembered by fans for working on George Lucas’ original space fantasy, his career was long and fascinating, and saw him work with many of the world’s most respected directors. Born in Bushey Heath in 1914, he got his break into the film industry in 1929 at London’s Gainsborough Studios, where he began working as a camera assistant. While his career was interrupted by military service during World War II, he still managed to find a creative outlet, filming nighttime raids over Germany for the Royal Air Force.Among the films he worked on either as Camera Assisstant or Cinematographer are such notable titles as Brighton Rock, The Outsider, Ice Cold In Alex, Repulsion, Cul-de-sac, Frenzy and Flash Gordon.
- 8/25/2013
- EmpireOnline
London, Aug 24: Gilbert Taylor, the veteran British cinematographer behind classic films "Star Wars" and "The Omen", is no more. He was 99.
Taylor passed away Friday at his home on the Isle of Wight, reports contactmusic.com.
Born in Hertfordshire in 1914, Taylor started his career in the late 1920s as a camera assistant at Gainsborough Studios in London and shot daring Royal Air Force raids over Germany during World War II following a request from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
His film credits also include "Ice Cold in Alex", Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" and two movies with Roman Polanski, Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac, which earned him back-to-back BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominations.
He.
Taylor passed away Friday at his home on the Isle of Wight, reports contactmusic.com.
Born in Hertfordshire in 1914, Taylor started his career in the late 1920s as a camera assistant at Gainsborough Studios in London and shot daring Royal Air Force raids over Germany during World War II following a request from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
His film credits also include "Ice Cold in Alex", Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" and two movies with Roman Polanski, Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac, which earned him back-to-back BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominations.
He.
- 8/24/2013
- by Amith Ostwal
- RealBollywood.com
Gilbert Taylor, a veteran cinematographer known for his work on films like "Star Wars," "The Omen" and "Dr. Strangelove," has died on the Isle of Wight in Britain at the age of 99.
Active in the film industry since 1929, Taylor started out as a camera assistant who later began to specialize in cinematography. By the 1960s, he sufficiently in-demand that he was able to turn down work on one of the James Bond films. Taylor's work appeared in the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night," Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy," and television shows like "The Avengers."
The cinematographer worked on several films -- including "Repulsion" and "Cul-de-Sac" -- with Roman Polanski, a man he considered to be a close personal friend. For Stanley Kubrick, Taylor was the cinematographer for the classic, "Dr. Strangelove." He later called the lighting on that film's set "sheer magic."
Despite his many credits, Taylor is perhaps best-known...
Active in the film industry since 1929, Taylor started out as a camera assistant who later began to specialize in cinematography. By the 1960s, he sufficiently in-demand that he was able to turn down work on one of the James Bond films. Taylor's work appeared in the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night," Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy," and television shows like "The Avengers."
The cinematographer worked on several films -- including "Repulsion" and "Cul-de-Sac" -- with Roman Polanski, a man he considered to be a close personal friend. For Stanley Kubrick, Taylor was the cinematographer for the classic, "Dr. Strangelove." He later called the lighting on that film's set "sheer magic."
Despite his many credits, Taylor is perhaps best-known...
- 8/24/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Taylor worked with some of Hollywood's greats including Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski and George Lucas
The renowned British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, whose body of work included Star Wars, The Omen and Dr Strangelove, has died.
Taylor passed away at his home on the Isle of Wight aged 99 after a life which saw him credited with some of Hollywood's most acclaimed films.
While his work included Ice Cold in Alex, the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, he is best known for the first of George Lucas's Star Wars series.
"George avoided all meetings and contact with me from day one," Taylor told American Cinematographer magazine. "So I read the extra-long script many times and made my own decisions as to how I would shoot the picture."
His career in the film industry started in 1929 when he was still a teenager and was taken on...
The renowned British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, whose body of work included Star Wars, The Omen and Dr Strangelove, has died.
Taylor passed away at his home on the Isle of Wight aged 99 after a life which saw him credited with some of Hollywood's most acclaimed films.
While his work included Ice Cold in Alex, the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, he is best known for the first of George Lucas's Star Wars series.
"George avoided all meetings and contact with me from day one," Taylor told American Cinematographer magazine. "So I read the extra-long script many times and made my own decisions as to how I would shoot the picture."
His career in the film industry started in 1929 when he was still a teenager and was taken on...
- 8/24/2013
- by Shane Hickey
- The Guardian - Film News
Sadly timed with talk of the new, yet retro-minded generation of Star Wars cinematography, today also brings news of the death of Gilbert Taylor, the director of photography whose credits include the first Star Wars film, Dr. Strangelove, The Omen, Repulsion, and many other classics. Taylor was 99. Taylor began working in the British film industry in 1929 as a camera assistant, later serving during World War II by shooting the results of nighttime bombing raids. His first credit as a cinematographer, on 1948’s The Guinea Pig, kicked off a long and incredibly diverse career that included working with ...
- 8/23/2013
- avclub.com
Gilbert Taylor, the famed British cinematographer who shot the first Star Wars film for George Lucas, Dr. Strangelove for Stanley Kubrick, Repulsion for Roman Polanski and The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, has died. He was 99. Taylor died Friday at his home on the Isle of Wight, his wife, Dee, told the BBC. During a career that began as assistant cameraman on 1930's Rookery Nook and lasted almost 65 years, Taylor also worked on the war drama Ice Cold in Alex (1958); The Bedford Incident (1965); Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film, Frenzy (1972); Richard Donner's horror classic The Omen (1976);
read more...
read more...
- 8/23/2013
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, the director of photography on George Lucas' first "Star Wars" film, died on Friday in his Isle of Wight home. He was 99. Taylor's wife, Dee, informed the Guardian of his death. Also read: J.J. Abrams Hires 'Star Trek' Cinematographer to Shoot 'Star Wars: Episode VII' on 35Mm Film Taylor's work also included such well-known titles as the 1964 Beatles' debut film "A Hard Day's Night," 1976 horror classic "The Omen," and 1980 cult comic-book film "Flash Gordon." Born in 1914 in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England, he began his long career in...
- 8/23/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
In 1964 Polanski came to Britain to make his first three English-language films, beginning with Repulsion, a brilliant, low-budget psychological horror movie. Ten years later he made the sociopolitical thriller Chinatown, his second and last Hollywood movie before his enforced withdrawal to the continent. Both are masterpieces about puzzled men, troubled women and perverse fathers, and it's good to have them back on the big screen as part of the BFI Southbank's Polanski retrospective.
In Repulsion Catherine Deneuve gives an astonishing, clinically accurate performance as a French beautician staying with her sister in South Kensington, whose descent into homicidal insanity is triggered by loneliness and thwarted sexuality. Made for under £50,000 for an exploitation company, it doesn't look cheap or hurried and took the Silver Bear in Berlin where the following year Polanski's Cul-de-sac won the Golden Bear. The subtle black-and-white photography is by Gilbert Taylor, who had just shot Dr Strangelove and A Hard Day's Night.
In Repulsion Catherine Deneuve gives an astonishing, clinically accurate performance as a French beautician staying with her sister in South Kensington, whose descent into homicidal insanity is triggered by loneliness and thwarted sexuality. Made for under £50,000 for an exploitation company, it doesn't look cheap or hurried and took the Silver Bear in Berlin where the following year Polanski's Cul-de-sac won the Golden Bear. The subtle black-and-white photography is by Gilbert Taylor, who had just shot Dr Strangelove and A Hard Day's Night.
- 1/6/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
I saw this movie for the first and only time crossing the Atlantic in 1957, on the Mauritania, on the way to the States. My fellow English Speaking Union scholars and I, still in the grip of Look Back in Anger and seething from the moral and political debacle of Suez, regarded it with mirthful contempt. It was the kind of stilted, patronising British movie about working-class and lower-middle-class life we were in flight from after we'd just embraced Paddy Chayefsky's Marty, The Catered Affair and The Bachelor Party, and been thrilled by Ealing's Alexander Mackendrick making his American debut with Sweet Smell of Success. It's now being revived, or disinterred, as a major harbinger of British kitchen-sink realism, a term coined in the mid-1950s by my future mentor David Sylvester.
The movie turns upon a lower-middle-class clerk (stiff-upper-lip specialist Anthony Quayle) preparing to leave his loving, depressed, slatternly...
The movie turns upon a lower-middle-class clerk (stiff-upper-lip specialist Anthony Quayle) preparing to leave his loving, depressed, slatternly...
- 7/28/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
DVD Release Date: April 24, 2012
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Hen’s Tooth
Tom Selleck goes black tie in 1984's Lassiter.
Tom Selleck (TV’s Blue Bloods) is a suave, debonair man-about-town…and a notorious thief—in the 1984 action adventure crime film Lassiter.
Whether he’s charming high society’s elite at a black-tie dinner or emptying their safes in the dead of night, Nick Lassiter certainly excels at what he does. On the eve of World War II, Lassiter finds himself in London, where local authorities are well aware of his history as a notorious cat burglar. When word leaks out that a cache of uncut diamonds is to be smuggled through the German embassy, Lassiter is coerced by police and the FBI to perform one last heist on their behalf.
Directed by Roger Young (Kiss the Sky), Lassiter also stars Jane Seymour (TV’s Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), Lauren Hutton (The Joneses...
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Hen’s Tooth
Tom Selleck goes black tie in 1984's Lassiter.
Tom Selleck (TV’s Blue Bloods) is a suave, debonair man-about-town…and a notorious thief—in the 1984 action adventure crime film Lassiter.
Whether he’s charming high society’s elite at a black-tie dinner or emptying their safes in the dead of night, Nick Lassiter certainly excels at what he does. On the eve of World War II, Lassiter finds himself in London, where local authorities are well aware of his history as a notorious cat burglar. When word leaks out that a cache of uncut diamonds is to be smuggled through the German embassy, Lassiter is coerced by police and the FBI to perform one last heist on their behalf.
Directed by Roger Young (Kiss the Sky), Lassiter also stars Jane Seymour (TV’s Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), Lauren Hutton (The Joneses...
- 2/10/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Cul-de-sac Directed by: Roman Polanski Written by: Roman Polanski and Gérard Brach Starring: Donald Pleasence, Françoise Dorléac, Lionel Stander Roman Polanski's darkly goofy Cul-de-sac is a defining moment in the filmmaker's career, dropping a style gauntlet that would shape his future filmography and define the term 'Polanski-esque'. He twists comedy and suspense into a fresh, thrilling, and manic cinematic experience that proves one thing; tough willed men eat eggs raw and weak willed men boil them. The film opens with a man pushing a car through rising waters, his arm in a sling. His bookish looking partner sits in the passenger side wincing in pain. His gut was shot out in what we assume was a botched robbery (maybe an influence on Reservoir Dogs?) Richard, the burlier of the two (played brilliantly by Lionel Stander, who kids of the 80's might recognize as the voice of Kup in Transformers: The Movie...
- 8/26/2011
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
Chicago – Whatever you may think about Roman Polanski as a human being (or a criminal for that matter), it is simply undeniable that he is one of our best living filmmakers. From “Repulsion” to “Chinatown” to “The Pianist” to “The Ghost Writer” — he’s a master of the form, one of my absolute favorite directors of all time. One of his lesser-known works (that would be the best film of many other director’s entire careers but arguably doesn’t even rank top ten for Polanski) is the tense, taut “Cul-de-sac,” given the special edition treatment this week by The Criterion Collection.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
“Roman Polanski orchestrates a mental menage a trois in this slyly absurd tale of paranoia from the director’s golden 1960s period. Donald Pleasence and Francoise Dorleac star as a withdrawn couple whose isolated house is invaded by a rude, burly American gangster on the run,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
“Roman Polanski orchestrates a mental menage a trois in this slyly absurd tale of paranoia from the director’s golden 1960s period. Donald Pleasence and Francoise Dorleac star as a withdrawn couple whose isolated house is invaded by a rude, burly American gangster on the run,...
- 8/17/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It's been nearly two years since Swiss authorities, acting on a request from the Us, arrested Roman Polanski, jailed him for two months and then held him under house arrest for seven more. While incarcerated, Polanski managed to complete The Ghost Writer, which won him a Silver Bear at the 2010 edition of the Berlinale and then swept last year's European Film Awards. While we anxiously await Carnage — his adaptation of Yasmina Reza's play God of Carnage featuring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C Reilly; it'll see its premiere in Venice before opening the New York Film Festival — MoMA has announced a month-long retrospective (September 7 through 30) and today Criterion releases Cul-de-sac (1966) on DVD and Blu-ray.
"Cul-de-sac remains a searing reminder that Roman Polanski's idiosyncratic grasp of the human mind was once evinced theatrically, rather than through narrative ferocity," writes Joseph Jon Lanthier in Slant. "Where Chinatown,...
"Cul-de-sac remains a searing reminder that Roman Polanski's idiosyncratic grasp of the human mind was once evinced theatrically, rather than through narrative ferocity," writes Joseph Jon Lanthier in Slant. "Where Chinatown,...
- 8/16/2011
- MUBI
Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Agent 8 3/4 (1964)
Directed by: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley
Synopsis: Unemployed Czech-speaking writer Nicholas Whistler thinks he’s got a job visiting Prague for a bit of industrial espionage. In fact he is now in the employ of British Intelligence. His pretty chauffeuse on arrival behind the Iron Curtain, Comrade Simonova, is herself a Czech agent. Just as well she’s immediately attracted to 007′s unwitting replacement. [highdefdigest.com]
Special Features: Unknown.
Armed And Dangerous (1986)
Directed by: Mark L. Lester
Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Meg Ryan, Robert Loggia
Synopsis: Dooley, a cop wrongly sacked for corruption, teams up with a useless defense lawyer in their new careers… as security guards. When the two are made fall guys for a robbery at a location they are guarding, the pair begin to investigate corruption within the company and their union.
Agent 8 3/4 (1964)
Directed by: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley
Synopsis: Unemployed Czech-speaking writer Nicholas Whistler thinks he’s got a job visiting Prague for a bit of industrial espionage. In fact he is now in the employ of British Intelligence. His pretty chauffeuse on arrival behind the Iron Curtain, Comrade Simonova, is herself a Czech agent. Just as well she’s immediately attracted to 007′s unwitting replacement. [highdefdigest.com]
Special Features: Unknown.
Armed And Dangerous (1986)
Directed by: Mark L. Lester
Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Meg Ryan, Robert Loggia
Synopsis: Dooley, a cop wrongly sacked for corruption, teams up with a useless defense lawyer in their new careers… as security guards. When the two are made fall guys for a robbery at a location they are guarding, the pair begin to investigate corruption within the company and their union.
- 8/15/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
DVD Playhouse—August 2011
By Allen Gardner
High And Low (Criterion) Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom is a multi-layered masterpiece of suspense and one of the best portraits ever of class warfare in post-ww II Japan. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy businessman who finds himself in a moral quandary when his chauffer’s son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs who think the boy is Mifune’s. Beautifully realized on every level. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; Documentary on film’s production; Interview with Mifune from 1984; Trailers and teaser. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 4.0 surround.
Leon Morin, Priest (Criterion) One of French maestro Jean-Pierre Melville’s rare non-crime-oriented films, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a devoted cleric who is lusted after by the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. When Fr. Morin finds himself drawn to a...
By Allen Gardner
High And Low (Criterion) Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom is a multi-layered masterpiece of suspense and one of the best portraits ever of class warfare in post-ww II Japan. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy businessman who finds himself in a moral quandary when his chauffer’s son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs who think the boy is Mifune’s. Beautifully realized on every level. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; Documentary on film’s production; Interview with Mifune from 1984; Trailers and teaser. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 4.0 surround.
Leon Morin, Priest (Criterion) One of French maestro Jean-Pierre Melville’s rare non-crime-oriented films, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a devoted cleric who is lusted after by the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. When Fr. Morin finds himself drawn to a...
- 8/8/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Cul-de-sac, Roman Polanski’s (The Ghost Writer) 1966 absurdist movie about over-the-top paranoia and bizarre sexuality (sound familiar?), comes to Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion on Aug. 16 for the list prices of $39.95 and $29.95, respectively.
Françoise Dorléac gives hubby Donald Pleasance a makeover in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac.
The film stars Donald Pleasance (Halloween) and Françoise Dorléac (The Soft Skin) as a cowardly eccentric and his slutty French wife, whose isolated beachfront castle is overrun by a burly American gangster (Lionel Stander, Unfaithfully Yours) on the lam. As the tide rises and flocks of chickens close in (!), the trio engages in a sly game of shifting identities, sexual challenges and emotional humiliations. It’s weird, weird stuff that’s both laugh out loud funny and quietly clever as a metaphor for a modern world in chaos.
As is usual for Criterion’s releases, the movie will have a digital restoration, approved by director Polanski,...
Françoise Dorléac gives hubby Donald Pleasance a makeover in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac.
The film stars Donald Pleasance (Halloween) and Françoise Dorléac (The Soft Skin) as a cowardly eccentric and his slutty French wife, whose isolated beachfront castle is overrun by a burly American gangster (Lionel Stander, Unfaithfully Yours) on the lam. As the tide rises and flocks of chickens close in (!), the trio engages in a sly game of shifting identities, sexual challenges and emotional humiliations. It’s weird, weird stuff that’s both laugh out loud funny and quietly clever as a metaphor for a modern world in chaos.
As is usual for Criterion’s releases, the movie will have a digital restoration, approved by director Polanski,...
- 5/20/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
It’s so strange, writing this so long after the announcement yesterday. In today’s internet world of instant information, and twenty four second news cycles, yesterday’s August 2011 Criterion Collection new releases may as well have happened last week, or last month. I’m sure that the page views for this post will be markedly smaller than the usual, as I have tried consistently to have the new release post up within minutes of the pages going live on Criterion’s website. I know this all sounds like inside baseball stuff, but it’s on my mind, and darn it, this is my website.
I had a whole, several paragraph long, write up of the August titles, but since I’m finding myself writing this at 10pm on Tuesday evening, I think it’s better if I just scrap that whole thing and start over. I was going on...
I had a whole, several paragraph long, write up of the August titles, but since I’m finding myself writing this at 10pm on Tuesday evening, I think it’s better if I just scrap that whole thing and start over. I was going on...
- 5/18/2011
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Some would say “difficult and remote”. Others would say “brilliant, bold, daring but an absolute control freak”. The late Stanley Kubrick was labelled many things in his time but no one can doubt the man had a rich talent for realising cinema as a grand, sensory spectacle. This month marks the 12th anniversary since his death and as a tribute to his talents I would like to propose 50 reasons why the filmmaker may have actually been the greatest director of all time.
In no particular order;
1. Was a Master Of Almost Every Genre
There’s little doubt that Kubrick was a cinematic connoisseur. To prove it he created a classic entry in almost every genre, whether it be a clever comedy satire (Dr Strangelove), a masterful psychological horror (The Shining), innovative sci-fi’s (2001: A Space Odyssey & A Clockwork Orange), a beautiful period drama (Barry Lyndon), controversial anti-war movies (Paths of Glory...
In no particular order;
1. Was a Master Of Almost Every Genre
There’s little doubt that Kubrick was a cinematic connoisseur. To prove it he created a classic entry in almost every genre, whether it be a clever comedy satire (Dr Strangelove), a masterful psychological horror (The Shining), innovative sci-fi’s (2001: A Space Odyssey & A Clockwork Orange), a beautiful period drama (Barry Lyndon), controversial anti-war movies (Paths of Glory...
- 3/1/2011
- by Oliver Pfeiffer
- Obsessed with Film
By modern standards, Quentin Tarantino would be considered an auteur; a director whose films reflect that his personal creative vision. But what exactly is that vision, and how is it reflected in his work? One major observation that one can make about Tarantino’s films is that he often incorporates a number of references, many of which refer to cinema, specific films, or pop culture. His films are laced with this intertextuality were the relationship between texts (or films) is constantly being redefined. This method of pastiche is one way that he draws attention to the fact that his film is a constructed piece of fiction, or a “simulation.”
His rational behind this is heavily influenced by French theorist Jean Baudrillard’s notion of “hyperreality.” Hyperreality in this case refers to the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, as the two become blurred into one. Baudrillard argues that...
His rational behind this is heavily influenced by French theorist Jean Baudrillard’s notion of “hyperreality.” Hyperreality in this case refers to the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, as the two become blurred into one. Baudrillard argues that...
- 6/26/2010
- by Kristen Coates
- The Film Stage
I'm not going to go into my Roman Polanski defense. I've been doing this all morning, nearly ranting and raving over my views on the matter, and have grown frustrated and depressed. But in short, I'm not happy about his arrest. So, I would rather discuss one of his greatest pictures, a brilliant portrait of female sadness, alienation, sexual neurosis turned to psychosis. A movie all women should watch is his masterpiece Repulsion. "I hate doing this to a beautiful woman."--Roman Polanski cameraman Gil Taylor Roman Polanski knows women because he understands men. He knows both sexes because he understands the games both genders play, either consciously or instinctively. He understands the perversions formed from such relations and translates them into visions that are erotic, disturbing, humorous and, most important, allegorical in their potency. One should not (as so many did...
- 9/28/2009
- by Kim Morgan
- Huffington Post
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.