Long before Ken Burns captured the nation with such landmark documentaries as “The Civil War” and “Baseball” and the world knew the bizarre world of “The Tiger King,” non-fiction specials and series played an important part on the television landscape. Here’s a look at some of the pioneering specials and series that either won or were nominated for the Emmy Award.
“Crusade in Europe”
Could a documentary lead to the Presidency?
Well, in the case of 1949’s “Crusade in Europe” the Emmy Award-winning 1949 ABC documentary series probably helped Dwight D. Eisenhower’s rise to the White House. The small screen’s first major documentary series was based on Eisenhower’s best-selling 1948 account of his experiences from World War II from his appointment by General George Marshall to plan the defense of the Philippines to him being named the Supreme Allied Commander in Northern Europe.
The 26-part series featured terrific...
“Crusade in Europe”
Could a documentary lead to the Presidency?
Well, in the case of 1949’s “Crusade in Europe” the Emmy Award-winning 1949 ABC documentary series probably helped Dwight D. Eisenhower’s rise to the White House. The small screen’s first major documentary series was based on Eisenhower’s best-selling 1948 account of his experiences from World War II from his appointment by General George Marshall to plan the defense of the Philippines to him being named the Supreme Allied Commander in Northern Europe.
The 26-part series featured terrific...
- 7/8/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Do you ever lapse into daydream fantasies to escape from everyday life? Tom Courtenay and John Schlesinger changed their destinies and that of Julie Christie with this brilliant (black?) comedy about what ought to be a tragic situation. The frustrated Billy rebels against his dull routine with outrageous lies and chicanery, but hasn’t the courage to strike forth on his own — even when invited to do so by the girl of his dreams. Schlesinger’s delightful directorial style applies brash New Wave editing to Billy’s grandiose ‘Walter Mitty’ fantasies.
Billy Liar
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date April 28, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Tom Courtenay, Julie Christie, Wilfred Pickles, Mona Washbourne, Ethel Griffies, Finlay Currie.
Cinematography: Denys N. Coop
Film Editor: Roger Cherrill
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall from their play
Produced by Joseph Janni
Directed by...
Billy Liar
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date April 28, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Tom Courtenay, Julie Christie, Wilfred Pickles, Mona Washbourne, Ethel Griffies, Finlay Currie.
Cinematography: Denys N. Coop
Film Editor: Roger Cherrill
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall from their play
Produced by Joseph Janni
Directed by...
- 4/21/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Mill Creek and Kit Parker have raided the Columbia vault once again in search of Noir Gold from the ‘fifties. Their selection this time around has a couple of prime gems, several straight crime thrillers and domestic jeopardy tales, and also a couple of interesting Brit imports. They aren’t really ‘Noir’ either, but they’re still unexpected and different. The top title is Don Siegel’s incomparable The Lineup, but also on board is a snappy anti-commie epic by André De Toth. Get set for a lineup of impressive leading ladies: Diana Dors, Arlene Dahl, Anita Ekberg — and the great Colleen Dewhurst as a card-carrying Red!
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection Volume 3
The Shadow on the Window, The Long Haul, Pickup Alley, The Tijuana Story, She Played with Fire, The Case Against Brooklyn, The Lineup, The Crimson Kimono, Man on a String
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1957 -1960 / B&w...
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection Volume 3
The Shadow on the Window, The Long Haul, Pickup Alley, The Tijuana Story, She Played with Fire, The Case Against Brooklyn, The Lineup, The Crimson Kimono, Man on a String
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1957 -1960 / B&w...
- 9/10/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A million American GIs are bivouacked in the English countryside, awaiting debarkation to France… and the green fields are loaded with young English women, whose own men have been off fighting for years. John Schlesinger puts together a good drama, with an excellent cast; he also avoids the expected ‘please wait for me!’ clichés attendant to this subgenre of war film.
Yanks
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1979 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 139 min. / Street Date , 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave, William Devane, Chick Vennera, Wendy Morgan, Rachel Roberts, Tony Melody, Derek Thompson.
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: Jim Clark
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Colin Welland, Walter Bernstein
Produced by Joseph Janni, Lester Persky
Directed by John Schlesinger
Director John Boorman got to tell his personal wartime home front story in his warm and funny Hope and Glory, and eight years earlier the...
Yanks
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1979 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 139 min. / Street Date , 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave, William Devane, Chick Vennera, Wendy Morgan, Rachel Roberts, Tony Melody, Derek Thompson.
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: Jim Clark
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Colin Welland, Walter Bernstein
Produced by Joseph Janni, Lester Persky
Directed by John Schlesinger
Director John Boorman got to tell his personal wartime home front story in his warm and funny Hope and Glory, and eight years earlier the...
- 2/2/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Pearl S. Buck and Leo McCarey give it to ya straight: Red China is Bad. This strange mix of Cold War truth-telling and mawkish, ethics-challenged church sentiment may have meant well, but it overstates everything. A top-flight cast works hard to make it compelling: William Holden, France Nuyen and in his last film, Clifton Webb.
Satan Never Sleeps
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 125 min./ Street Date , 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: William Holden, Clifton Webb, France Nuyen, Athene Seyler, Martin Benson, Weaver Lee, Burt Kwouk.
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Film Editor: Gordon Pilkington
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Claude Binyon from the novel The China Story by Pearl S. Buck
Produced and Directed by Leo McCarey
Leo McCarey’s film career followed quite a strange trajectory. A master of Laurel & Hardy classics, and an absolute king of sophisticated comedy in the 1930s, his cooperative method...
Satan Never Sleeps
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 125 min./ Street Date , 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: William Holden, Clifton Webb, France Nuyen, Athene Seyler, Martin Benson, Weaver Lee, Burt Kwouk.
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Film Editor: Gordon Pilkington
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Claude Binyon from the novel The China Story by Pearl S. Buck
Produced and Directed by Leo McCarey
Leo McCarey’s film career followed quite a strange trajectory. A master of Laurel & Hardy classics, and an absolute king of sophisticated comedy in the 1930s, his cooperative method...
- 1/19/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A thyroid operation every ten years, plus regular libations of an eerie green liquid, has allowed Anton Diffring to live over a hundred years without looking a year over forty. Hammer’s medical horror show features Christopher Lee, Hazel Court and sumptuous cinematography, but not a whole lot of surprises.
The Man Who Could Cheat Death
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / Color/ 1:66 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marle, Delphi Lawrence.
Cinematography: Jack Asher
Production Design: Bernard Robinson
Art Direction: Roy Ashton
Film Editor: John Dunsford
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Jimmy Sangster from a play by Barré Lyndon
Produced by Michael Carreras
Directed by Terence Fisher
For its first two years of Technicolor horror Hammer Films could seemingly do no wrong. In just a few months their revivals of classic horror motifs were being bankrolled and...
The Man Who Could Cheat Death
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / Color/ 1:66 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marle, Delphi Lawrence.
Cinematography: Jack Asher
Production Design: Bernard Robinson
Art Direction: Roy Ashton
Film Editor: John Dunsford
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Jimmy Sangster from a play by Barré Lyndon
Produced by Michael Carreras
Directed by Terence Fisher
For its first two years of Technicolor horror Hammer Films could seemingly do no wrong. In just a few months their revivals of classic horror motifs were being bankrolled and...
- 3/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sean Wilson Jan 16, 2017
From the BBC's Sherlock, through Disney, Hans Zimmer and Young Sherlock Holmes: we salute the music of Mr Holmes...
Few characters have enjoyed as much reinvention as Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth Sherlock Holmes, an enduring icon who is as much bound up with the history of cinema (and indeed stage, TV and radio) as he is with literature. Indeed, adaptations of Holmes stories stretch right the way back to the earliest days of film at the start of the 20th century. Fittingly enough given Holmes' penchant for a violin serenade, the musical scores to his adventures are as richly varied as the outcomes to his mysteries are unexpected. Here are Holmes' musical highlights, from Buster Keaton through to Benedict Cumberbatch.
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Not, strictly speaking, a Sherlock movie but as the title implies, the legacy of the character casts a long shadow over Buster Keaton's silent classic.
From the BBC's Sherlock, through Disney, Hans Zimmer and Young Sherlock Holmes: we salute the music of Mr Holmes...
Few characters have enjoyed as much reinvention as Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth Sherlock Holmes, an enduring icon who is as much bound up with the history of cinema (and indeed stage, TV and radio) as he is with literature. Indeed, adaptations of Holmes stories stretch right the way back to the earliest days of film at the start of the 20th century. Fittingly enough given Holmes' penchant for a violin serenade, the musical scores to his adventures are as richly varied as the outcomes to his mysteries are unexpected. Here are Holmes' musical highlights, from Buster Keaton through to Benedict Cumberbatch.
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Not, strictly speaking, a Sherlock movie but as the title implies, the legacy of the character casts a long shadow over Buster Keaton's silent classic.
- 1/15/2017
- Den of Geek
Robert Mitchum all but snoozes through this promising war-espionage thriller that pits lazy Gestapo agents against clueless partisans in occupied Greece. It's got great locations and a good cast, but director Robert Aldrich seems off his feed -- there's not a lot of excitement to be had. The Angry Hills DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1959 / B&W / 2:35 enhanced widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date February 16, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Robert Mitchum, Stanley Baker, Elisabeth Mueller, Gia Scala, Theodore Bikel, Sebastian Cabot, Donald Wolfit, Marius Goring, Jocelyn Lane, Kieron Moore, George Pastell, Marita Constantinou, Alec Mango. Cinematography Stephen Dade Film Editor Peter Tanner Production Design Ken Adam Original Music Richard Rodney Bennett Written by A.I. Bezzerides from the novel by Leon Uris Produced by Raymond Stross Directed by Robert Aldrich
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Director Robert Aldrich had come through with successes for Burt Lancaster's production company (Apache, Vera Cruz...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Director Robert Aldrich had come through with successes for Burt Lancaster's production company (Apache, Vera Cruz...
- 5/31/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Where was Leonard Pinth Garnell when we needed him? Joseph Losey is often accused of pretension but in this case he may be guilty. Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell are escapees scrambling across a rocky terrain, pursued by a helicopter that seems satisfied to just harass them. Keeping the audience in the dark doesn't reap any dramatic or thematic benefit that I can see. Figures in a Landscape Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1970 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date January 12, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Robert Shaw, Malcolm McDowell, Roger Lloyd Pack, Pamela Brown. Cinematography Henri Alekan, Peter Suschitzky, Guy Tabary Film Editor Reginald Beck Art Direction Ted Tester Original Music Richard Rodney Bennett Written by Robert Shaw from the novel by Barry England Produced by John Kohn Directed by Joseph Losey
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Joseph Losey is a gold mine for film criticism but a real problem for simple film reviewing.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Joseph Losey is a gold mine for film criticism but a real problem for simple film reviewing.
- 1/16/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Lee Pfeiffer
I've long had admiration for the work of actor Robert Shaw ever since he impressed me at age 8 with his chilling interpretation of the Spectre psychotic killer Red Grant in "From Russia With Love". Shaw could always be counted on to deliver a fine performance even if the material he chose was sometimes underwhelming. Shaw was also a talented writer and playwright, having won acclaim for his play "The Man in the Glass Booth", which was inspired by the war criminal trial of Adolf Eichmann. Shaw, like many actors, participated in many questionable films in order to enable his real passion, which was to bring avante garde movie projects to fruition, even if they only appealed to the art cinema crowd. One of Shaw's most interesting vehicles is one of his least seen. "Figures in a Landscape" was his 1970 adaptation of an allegorical novel by Barry England...
I've long had admiration for the work of actor Robert Shaw ever since he impressed me at age 8 with his chilling interpretation of the Spectre psychotic killer Red Grant in "From Russia With Love". Shaw could always be counted on to deliver a fine performance even if the material he chose was sometimes underwhelming. Shaw was also a talented writer and playwright, having won acclaim for his play "The Man in the Glass Booth", which was inspired by the war criminal trial of Adolf Eichmann. Shaw, like many actors, participated in many questionable films in order to enable his real passion, which was to bring avante garde movie projects to fruition, even if they only appealed to the art cinema crowd. One of Shaw's most interesting vehicles is one of his least seen. "Figures in a Landscape" was his 1970 adaptation of an allegorical novel by Barry England...
- 12/27/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
'Nicholas and Alexandra': Movie starred Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman 'Nicholas and Alexandra' movie review: Opulent 1971 spectacle lacks emotional core Nicholas and Alexandra is surely one of the most sumptuous film productions ever made. The elaborate sets and costumes, Richard Rodney Bennett's lush musical score, and frequent David Lean collaborator Freddie Young's richly textured cinematography provide the perfect period atmosphere for this historical epic. Missing, however, is a screenplay that offers dialogue instead of speeches, and a directorial hand that brings out emotional truth instead of soapy melodrama. Nicholas and Alexandra begins when, after several unsuccessful attempts, Tsar Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) finally becomes the father of a boy. Shortly thereafter, he and his wife, the German-born Empress Alexandra (Janet Suzman), have their happiness crushed when they discover that their infant son is a hemophiliac. In addition to his familial turmoil, the Tsar must also deal with popular...
- 5/7/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Sandra Fluke has announced plans to run for California State Senate opting not to battle for the Congressional seat of Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-ca 33rd District) after he retires this year.
Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to #runsandrarun! I've announced my candidacy for #CA State Senate http://t.co/B71Lvj1Mkg
— Sandra Fluke (@SandraFluke) February 5, 2014
Fluke, a women’s rights activist and attorney, announced her decision Tuesday, Feb. 4 after having filed papers suggesting she would run for Rep. Waxman’s seat. She will instead run for California Legislature in the 26th District.
““I am extremely moved by the outpouring of local and national support I have received since I announced that I was considering running for office. My entire career has been devoted to the public interest, whether representing victims of human trafficking or advocating for working families. I am committed to continuing that fight in Sacramento,...
Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to #runsandrarun! I've announced my candidacy for #CA State Senate http://t.co/B71Lvj1Mkg
— Sandra Fluke (@SandraFluke) February 5, 2014
Fluke, a women’s rights activist and attorney, announced her decision Tuesday, Feb. 4 after having filed papers suggesting she would run for Rep. Waxman’s seat. She will instead run for California Legislature in the 26th District.
““I am extremely moved by the outpouring of local and national support I have received since I announced that I was considering running for office. My entire career has been devoted to the public interest, whether representing victims of human trafficking or advocating for working families. I am committed to continuing that fight in Sacramento,...
- 2/6/2014
- Uinterview
(Sidney Lumet, John Guillermin, Guy Hamilton, 1974-82; StudioCanal, PG)
The production partnership of John Brabourne (the Eton-educated seventh Baron Brabourne) and Richard B Goodwin (who started out as a teenage tea boy with the Rank Organisation) is one of the most interesting in the British cinema. Its highlights include David Lean's A Passage to India and the two-part Little Dorrit, but its most popular works were the period Agatha Christie pictures that brought all-star casting and unfashionably high production values to the whodunit and set new standards for the string of TV productions that followed. Brabourne's father-in-law Lord Mountbatten helped secure the rights from Dame Agatha, and the three best are the Hercule Poirot mysteries in this Blu-ray set. Ustinov plays the Belgian sleuth both in John Guillermin's Death on the Nile (1978), scripted by Anthony Shaffer and superbly photographed by Jack Cardiff, and in Guy Hamilton's bland...
The production partnership of John Brabourne (the Eton-educated seventh Baron Brabourne) and Richard B Goodwin (who started out as a teenage tea boy with the Rank Organisation) is one of the most interesting in the British cinema. Its highlights include David Lean's A Passage to India and the two-part Little Dorrit, but its most popular works were the period Agatha Christie pictures that brought all-star casting and unfashionably high production values to the whodunit and set new standards for the string of TV productions that followed. Brabourne's father-in-law Lord Mountbatten helped secure the rights from Dame Agatha, and the three best are the Hercule Poirot mysteries in this Blu-ray set. Ustinov plays the Belgian sleuth both in John Guillermin's Death on the Nile (1978), scripted by Anthony Shaffer and superbly photographed by Jack Cardiff, and in Guy Hamilton's bland...
- 1/26/2014
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
A 35-year-old Brit named Robert Hunter was sentenced to 14 years in prison after he tricked teenage and pre-teen girls into stripping for him and performing sexual acts, sometimes by pretending he was Justin Bieber.
According to The Guardian, Hunter used websites like Facebook, Skype and MSN to target and blackmail girls as young as 9-years-old in countries in Europe, Asia and North America. To some of the targeted girls, he would pretend he was Bieber in an attempt to make them strip for him and perform various sex acts.
All told, more than 800 videos and images were found on Hunter's computer that he made between 2010 and 2012. "On each occasion he was able to disguise his true age and identity by the clever use of images of young boys or by pretending that his computer wasn't working properly," prosecutor Richard Bennett says. "As a further demonstration of the naivete and innocence of his victims,...
According to The Guardian, Hunter used websites like Facebook, Skype and MSN to target and blackmail girls as young as 9-years-old in countries in Europe, Asia and North America. To some of the targeted girls, he would pretend he was Bieber in an attempt to make them strip for him and perform various sex acts.
All told, more than 800 videos and images were found on Hunter's computer that he made between 2010 and 2012. "On each occasion he was able to disguise his true age and identity by the clever use of images of young boys or by pretending that his computer wasn't working properly," prosecutor Richard Bennett says. "As a further demonstration of the naivete and innocence of his victims,...
- 9/17/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Richard Williams was a pioneer of hand-drawn animation, working on films such as The Pink Panther and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But perhaps his most enduring work is his masterclass, The Animator's Survival Kit
When the animator Richard Williams celebrated his 80th birthday last month he was the subject of widespread and heartfelt acclaim as one of the most important and influential figures in his industry. His career has ranged from tiny TV commercials to the biggest budget Hollywood features, including the 1988 homage to the golden age of animation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a film widely credited with single-handedly reinvigorating an art form that had fallen badly out of fashion.
Looking back over his many triumphs – as well as some notable disasters – Williams himself ascribes much of his success to a decision he made in the late 1960s, when he effectively demoted himself within his own, highly profitable and multi-award-winning,...
When the animator Richard Williams celebrated his 80th birthday last month he was the subject of widespread and heartfelt acclaim as one of the most important and influential figures in his industry. His career has ranged from tiny TV commercials to the biggest budget Hollywood features, including the 1988 homage to the golden age of animation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a film widely credited with single-handedly reinvigorating an art form that had fallen badly out of fashion.
Looking back over his many triumphs – as well as some notable disasters – Williams himself ascribes much of his success to a decision he made in the late 1960s, when he effectively demoted himself within his own, highly profitable and multi-award-winning,...
- 4/19/2013
- by Nicholas Wroe
- The Guardian - Film News
Richard Williams was a pioneer of hand-drawn animation, working on films such as The Pink Panther and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But perhaps his most enduring work is his masterclass, The Animator's Survival Kit
In the late 1960s the animator Richard Williams was established as one of the leading figures in the industry. He had won a Bafta for his debut film, The Little Island; his London based company had developed a lucrative portfolio of commercial television work and he was providing the animated sequences for classic 60s feature films such as the Woody Allen-scripted What's New Pussycat and Tony Richardson's antiwar epic The Charge of the Light Brigade. So, he acknowledges, it was a strange time for him to engineer a demotion for himself.
"In fact I was still the primary director of the work," he explains today "but I also became an assistant to other animators, and...
In the late 1960s the animator Richard Williams was established as one of the leading figures in the industry. He had won a Bafta for his debut film, The Little Island; his London based company had developed a lucrative portfolio of commercial television work and he was providing the animated sequences for classic 60s feature films such as the Woody Allen-scripted What's New Pussycat and Tony Richardson's antiwar epic The Charge of the Light Brigade. So, he acknowledges, it was a strange time for him to engineer a demotion for himself.
"In fact I was still the primary director of the work," he explains today "but I also became an assistant to other animators, and...
- 4/17/2013
- by Nicholas Wroe
- The Guardian - Film News
Where were Andy Griffith, Larry Hagman and other well-known celebrities in this year's Oscars In Memoriam montage? They were online at Oscar.com.
Every year it's one of the more reliably ridiculous award show controversies: Who didn't make the cut for In Memoriam?
When it comes to the Oscars, these "snubs" are particularly sensitive given the prestige and viewership of the show, and the fact that the montage inevitably leaves out names and faces of recognizable stars -- usually those known far more for their work in television than their work in film, which is the medium that the Academy Awards actually celebrate.
However, the Academy is hip to the annual controversy and this year produced a supplemental slideshow on their website featuring 114 names and photos of entertainers and film craftspeople who passed away in the past year.
Among the late greats included in the slideshow but not on the...
Every year it's one of the more reliably ridiculous award show controversies: Who didn't make the cut for In Memoriam?
When it comes to the Oscars, these "snubs" are particularly sensitive given the prestige and viewership of the show, and the fact that the montage inevitably leaves out names and faces of recognizable stars -- usually those known far more for their work in television than their work in film, which is the medium that the Academy Awards actually celebrate.
However, the Academy is hip to the annual controversy and this year produced a supplemental slideshow on their website featuring 114 names and photos of entertainers and film craftspeople who passed away in the past year.
Among the late greats included in the slideshow but not on the...
- 2/25/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Reel Important People is a monthly column that highlights those individuals in or related to the movies who have left us in recent weeks. Below you'll find names big and small and from all areas of the industry, though each was significant to the movies in their own way. Conrad Bain (1923-2013) - Actor best known for his TV roles as Phillip Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes and Dr. Arthur Harmon on Maude. He also appears in the films Bananas, Postcards from the Edge, Coogan's Bluff and C.H.O.M.P.S. (see him in the trailer below). He died on January 14. (Deadline) Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) - Composer nominated three times for the Oscar for his scores to Far from the Maddening Crowd, Nicholas and Alexandra and Murder on the Orient Express...
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- 2/1/2013
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
London – Composer Richard Rodney Bennett died at age 76 on Christmas Eve in New York, sparking tributes on both sides of the Atlantic. The British composer, a three-time Oscar nominee, is perhaps best known for his film and TV scores, including Hugh Grant starrer Four Weddings and a Funeral, Murder on the Orient Express and Doctor Who. Bennett died peacefully in New York, where he had lived for more than 20 years. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2012 Bennett, always known by his three names, secured a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for his score to Murder
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read more...
- 12/31/2012
- by Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Composer and pianist whose work included film scores, opera and jazz cabaret
The composer Richard Rodney Bennett, who has died in New York aged 76, pursued multiple musical lives with extraordinary success. He was one of the more distinguished soundtrack composers of his era, having contributed to some 50 films and winning Oscar nominations for his work on Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974).
But it scarcely seemed credible that this knack for writing for a mainstream audience in a melodic, romantic style co-existed with his mastery of serialism and 12-tone techniques. From 1957 to 1959, Bennett was a scholarship student with Pierre Boulez in Paris and soaked up the latter's total serialism techniques as well as his infatuation with the German avant garde. He also attended the summer schools at Darmstadt, the mecca for diehard atonalists.
His tremendous facility as a pianist would prompt the...
The composer Richard Rodney Bennett, who has died in New York aged 76, pursued multiple musical lives with extraordinary success. He was one of the more distinguished soundtrack composers of his era, having contributed to some 50 films and winning Oscar nominations for his work on Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974).
But it scarcely seemed credible that this knack for writing for a mainstream audience in a melodic, romantic style co-existed with his mastery of serialism and 12-tone techniques. From 1957 to 1959, Bennett was a scholarship student with Pierre Boulez in Paris and soaked up the latter's total serialism techniques as well as his infatuation with the German avant garde. He also attended the summer schools at Darmstadt, the mecca for diehard atonalists.
His tremendous facility as a pianist would prompt the...
- 12/28/2012
- by Adam Sweeting
- The Guardian - Film News
One of the film industry's last great composers has passed away at age 76. Sir Richard Rodney Bennett died this week in New York. The prolific composer was part of a now bygone age when spectacular and memorable film scores were a routine part of the motion picture industry. Bennett was nominated for three Oscars for his work on Far From the Madding Crowd, Nicholas and Alexandra and Murder On The Orient Express. He was also nominated for numerous BAFTA awards for his work in film and on television. Bennett was also acclaimed for his non-film work that included writing symphonies and operas. His other feature film scores include Billy Liar, Equus, Billion Dollar Brain, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Devil's Disciple. For more click here...
- 12/27/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Oscar-nominated composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett has died, the Guardian reports. Bennett passed away on Christmas Eve. He was 76 years old.
Bennett received Oscar nominations for his work scoring "Murder on the Orient Express," "Nicholas and Alexandra," and "Far from the Madding Crowd." He was also nominated for two Grammy awards -- Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special for 1973's "Nicholas and Alexandra" and 1976's "Murder on the Orient Express."
Bennett had an illustrious career, writing scores for films such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Equus," and "The Nanny." The English-born composer was honored Cbe in 1977, and knighted in 1998.
"He was, I think, the last of his kind," Bennett's publisher, Music Sales Group's Gill Graham said, The Guardian reports. "He wrote 32-bar jazz standards, the most complex serial music, and everything in between."
Bennett reportedly died in New York City.
For more, head over to The Guardian.
Bennett received Oscar nominations for his work scoring "Murder on the Orient Express," "Nicholas and Alexandra," and "Far from the Madding Crowd." He was also nominated for two Grammy awards -- Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special for 1973's "Nicholas and Alexandra" and 1976's "Murder on the Orient Express."
Bennett had an illustrious career, writing scores for films such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Equus," and "The Nanny." The English-born composer was honored Cbe in 1977, and knighted in 1998.
"He was, I think, the last of his kind," Bennett's publisher, Music Sales Group's Gill Graham said, The Guardian reports. "He wrote 32-bar jazz standards, the most complex serial music, and everything in between."
Bennett reportedly died in New York City.
For more, head over to The Guardian.
- 12/26/2012
- by Madeline Boardman
- Huffington Post
Versatile musician was equally at home writing jazz and film scores as music for the concert hall
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, one of Britain's most versatile and talented composers and performers, has died peacefully on Christmas Eve in his adopted home city of New York, aged 76.
Over the course of a distinguished career he has been equally at home writing music for the concert hall and performing cabaret at the Algonquin Hotel; as enthusiastic about Cole Porter as Pierre Boulez. His publisher, Gill Graham of the Music Sales Group, said: "He was, I think, the last of his kind. He wrote 32-bar jazz standards, the most complex serial music, and everything in between."
To a broad audience he is perhaps best known as a prolific writer of scores for film and television, including for Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express and Four Weddings and a Funeral; his film...
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, one of Britain's most versatile and talented composers and performers, has died peacefully on Christmas Eve in his adopted home city of New York, aged 76.
Over the course of a distinguished career he has been equally at home writing music for the concert hall and performing cabaret at the Algonquin Hotel; as enthusiastic about Cole Porter as Pierre Boulez. His publisher, Gill Graham of the Music Sales Group, said: "He was, I think, the last of his kind. He wrote 32-bar jazz standards, the most complex serial music, and everything in between."
To a broad audience he is perhaps best known as a prolific writer of scores for film and television, including for Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express and Four Weddings and a Funeral; his film...
- 12/26/2012
- by Charlotte Higgins
- The Guardian - Film News
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, the Oscar-nominated composer, has died at the age of 76. The Guardian reports that Bennett passed away peacefully on Christmas Eve (Monday, December 24) in his adopted home city of New York. Born in Kent on March 29, 1936, Bennett was a composer of classical and jazz works in addition to film scores, and regularly performed as a jazz pianist. His score for Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express won a BAFTA in 1974, and was also nominated for an Academy Award. Bennett's scores for Far (more)...
- 12/25/2012
- by By Kate Goodacre
- Digital Spy
We hold in our hands the covers for DC Comics this December. As a child of four can plainly see, these envelopes have been hermetically sealed. They’ve been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar under Wikipedia’s porch since noon today.
Shall we? Surely!
As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.
Justice League #4
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams
1:25 Variant cover by Andy Kubert
1:200 B&W Variant cover by Jim Lee
On sale December 21 • 40 pg, Fc, $3.99 Us • Rated T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 Us
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The superstar team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee continue the origin of the Justice League as The World’s Greatest Heroes face the might of Apokolips – and find aid in an unlikely hero, as Cyborg is created!
Plus, Andy Kubert...
Shall we? Surely!
As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.
Justice League #4
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams
1:25 Variant cover by Andy Kubert
1:200 B&W Variant cover by Jim Lee
On sale December 21 • 40 pg, Fc, $3.99 Us • Rated T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 Us
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The superstar team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee continue the origin of the Justice League as The World’s Greatest Heroes face the might of Apokolips – and find aid in an unlikely hero, as Cyborg is created!
Plus, Andy Kubert...
- 9/19/2011
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
Royal Albert Hall, London
Stravinsky wrote that film music should bear the same relationship to the film drama as "somebody's piano playing in my living-room has to the book I am reading". He was quite wrong, of course, and many find they would leave off reading to hear the pianist better. But he was partly right: you can rarely discard the book altogether.
This is why the most powerful item in this film music Prom – performed by Keith Lockhart and his indefatigable BBC Concert Orchestra – turned out to be Walton's Henry V, for which the actor Rory Kinnear read selections from Shakespeare's play. I thought it would be Herrmann's Psycho, which is a superbly crafted score. But the famous string glissandi which, in the film, mark the shift from growing unease to open-mouthed horror were here greeted by an outbreak of chuckling. By contrast, Kinnear's masterfully delivered readings held the entire hall spellbound,...
Stravinsky wrote that film music should bear the same relationship to the film drama as "somebody's piano playing in my living-room has to the book I am reading". He was quite wrong, of course, and many find they would leave off reading to hear the pianist better. But he was partly right: you can rarely discard the book altogether.
This is why the most powerful item in this film music Prom – performed by Keith Lockhart and his indefatigable BBC Concert Orchestra – turned out to be Walton's Henry V, for which the actor Rory Kinnear read selections from Shakespeare's play. I thought it would be Herrmann's Psycho, which is a superbly crafted score. But the famous string glissandi which, in the film, mark the shift from growing unease to open-mouthed horror were here greeted by an outbreak of chuckling. By contrast, Kinnear's masterfully delivered readings held the entire hall spellbound,...
- 8/14/2011
- by Guy Dammann
- The Guardian - Film News
'I didn't ever decide I was going to be a composer. It was like being tall. It's what I was. It's what I did'
Sidney Lumet's 1974 film version of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express was something of a landmark in crime cinema. The star-studded cast (Bacall, Bergman, Connery, Finney, Gielgud, Redgrave . . .) and lavish production values provided both the template for later movie adaptations of Christie's work and paved the way for the successful trend of high-end television crime series. Richard Rodney Bennett, who had been writing for the screen since he was 18, and who was a technically brilliant classical composer with a deep knowledge of 1930s popular music, was an ideal choice to write the score.
"Stephen Sondheim recommended me," recalls Bennett. "And as soon as I saw the rushes I told Sidney that no one in their right mind was going to be scared out their wits by Agatha Christie.
Sidney Lumet's 1974 film version of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express was something of a landmark in crime cinema. The star-studded cast (Bacall, Bergman, Connery, Finney, Gielgud, Redgrave . . .) and lavish production values provided both the template for later movie adaptations of Christie's work and paved the way for the successful trend of high-end television crime series. Richard Rodney Bennett, who had been writing for the screen since he was 18, and who was a technically brilliant classical composer with a deep knowledge of 1930s popular music, was an ideal choice to write the score.
"Stephen Sondheim recommended me," recalls Bennett. "And as soon as I saw the rushes I told Sidney that no one in their right mind was going to be scared out their wits by Agatha Christie.
- 7/22/2011
- by Nicholas Wroe
- The Guardian - Film News
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 premieres tonight and fans hope for a glimpse of Jk Rowling or Daniel Radcliffe
There may have been pigeons and gulls rather than dragons and owls wheeling across the moody skies over Trafalgar Square early on Thursday, but to the faithful, who clutched umbrellas and wands in roughly equal ratio, neither the birds nor the weather were of the slightest consequence.
They had not come to ride Nelson's lions or run the gauntlet of the English summer: they had come from across the world to pay their final respects to a young, bespectacled wizard whose adventures began before many of them were born.
It was not hard to distinguish the Harry Potter acolytes from the commuters and civil service muggles trudging grimly towards Whitehall.
By 7am, the fans – if the word is strong enough – were dragging their aching bodies into nearby coffee shops,...
There may have been pigeons and gulls rather than dragons and owls wheeling across the moody skies over Trafalgar Square early on Thursday, but to the faithful, who clutched umbrellas and wands in roughly equal ratio, neither the birds nor the weather were of the slightest consequence.
They had not come to ride Nelson's lions or run the gauntlet of the English summer: they had come from across the world to pay their final respects to a young, bespectacled wizard whose adventures began before many of them were born.
It was not hard to distinguish the Harry Potter acolytes from the commuters and civil service muggles trudging grimly towards Whitehall.
By 7am, the fans – if the word is strong enough – were dragging their aching bodies into nearby coffee shops,...
- 7/7/2011
- by Sam Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
Let's start the week with some fun useless trivia, a bunch of stories that should please hardcore fans. Today I'm going to tell you an anecdote about one of the world's shortest score which never actually happened.
In 1970, director Joseph Losey and composer Richard Rodney Bennett worked on The Go-Between, which didn't go down too well. The composer felt that the director misinterpreted the novel and eventually came up with a score which didn't work out. Since Bennett had to return to the States to teach, he didn't have time to do a re-write and the picture was eventually scored by Michel Legrand. That score is one of my favorites, but of course not everybody was a fan - Bennett for instance described the music as "terribly wrong".
Now why am I telling all this next to the picture of A Doll's House? Despite the conflict on The Go-Between, Losey...
In 1970, director Joseph Losey and composer Richard Rodney Bennett worked on The Go-Between, which didn't go down too well. The composer felt that the director misinterpreted the novel and eventually came up with a score which didn't work out. Since Bennett had to return to the States to teach, he didn't have time to do a re-write and the picture was eventually scored by Michel Legrand. That score is one of my favorites, but of course not everybody was a fan - Bennett for instance described the music as "terribly wrong".
Now why am I telling all this next to the picture of A Doll's House? Despite the conflict on The Go-Between, Losey...
- 1/1/2009
- Daily Film Music Blog
By Matt Singer
When the "Batman" movie franchise had grown too swollen with campy performances and benippled costumes to survive, Warner Brothers went back to the drawing board. But they didn't just bring on a new director or actor to play Batman; they restarted the entire franchise. And if 2005's "Batman Begins," directed by Christopher Nolan, could have been written off as an elaborately reimagined prequel - since Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" did not fully explain how Bruce Wayne became Batman or feature "Begins" villains the Scarecrow or Ra's Al Ghul - there could be no lingering doubt with Nolan's new Bat-follow-up, "The Dark Knight," where we get a totally new take on The Joker, courtesy of the late Heath Ledger.
Starting over a movie franchise based on a comic book from scratch is a fitting move; comic books have been doing the same thing for years. When these lumbering...
When the "Batman" movie franchise had grown too swollen with campy performances and benippled costumes to survive, Warner Brothers went back to the drawing board. But they didn't just bring on a new director or actor to play Batman; they restarted the entire franchise. And if 2005's "Batman Begins," directed by Christopher Nolan, could have been written off as an elaborately reimagined prequel - since Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" did not fully explain how Bruce Wayne became Batman or feature "Begins" villains the Scarecrow or Ra's Al Ghul - there could be no lingering doubt with Nolan's new Bat-follow-up, "The Dark Knight," where we get a totally new take on The Joker, courtesy of the late Heath Ledger.
Starting over a movie franchise based on a comic book from scratch is a fitting move; comic books have been doing the same thing for years. When these lumbering...
- 7/17/2008
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
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