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2 items from 2012

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George Cukor: Womens Director?

22 February 2012 3:38 PM, PST | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »

Known as a refined "women's director," George Cukor has had his considerable output either relegated to the sidelines or simply dismissed by those who like their directors macho and their films male-centered. Not helping matters is the general perception that Cukor was merely a hired hand for the likes of David O. Selznick at Rko and Louis B. Mayer at MGM, instead of an auteur following a clear professional path. Except, of course, for the (assumed) fact that he was a women's director — and we're back to square one. In truth, George Cukor was one of the most accomplished directors of the studio era. His movies may lack the wide vistas found in John Ford's Westerns, or those personal cinematic/thematic touches that make, say, an Alfred Hitchcock movie recognizably Hitchcockian. But that's because Cukor's camera was set up so audiences would forget it was there and thus be allowed to — or rather, »

- Andre Soares

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William Wyler: Oscar Actors Director

21 February 2012 4:48 PM, PST | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »

William Wyler was one of the greatest film directors Hollywood — or any other film industry — has ever produced. Today, Wyler lacks the following of Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Frank Capra, or even Howard Hawks most likely because, unlike Hitchcock, Ford, or Capra (and to a lesser extent Hawks), Wyler never focused on a particular genre, while his films were hardly as male-centered as those of the aforementioned four directors. Dumb but true: Films about women and their issues tend to be perceived as inferior to those about men — especially tough men — and their issues. The German-born Wyler (1902, in Alsace, now part of France) immigrated to the United States in his late teens. Following a stint at Universal's New York office, he moved to Hollywood and by the mid-'20s was directing Western shorts. His ascent was quick; by 1929 Wyler was directing Universal's top female star, Laura La Plante in the »

- Andre Soares

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2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

2 items from 2012

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