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We’ve spent February discussing Albert Lewin’s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (listen), the perfectly serviceable remake of Friday the 13th (listen), and Pedro Almodóvar’s controversial 2011 thriller The Skin I Live In (listen). Now we’re wrapping up the month with Neil Jordan’s wacky May/December stalker film, Greta (2018).
In the film, Chloë Grace Moretz plays Frances, a new to New York girl who befriends an older woman, Greta (Isabelle Huppert) after returning her lost purse. While the pair strike up an unlikely friendship, Frances’ roommate Erica (Maika Monroe) finds the relationship unusual.
What Frances doesn’t know is that Greta is more than a sad, lonely old woman. She’s got secrets in a trunk, a syringe full of sedatives, and a penchant for burying her secrets, including private investigator Stephen Rea, in the basement.
Will Frances wind up like all of Greta’s other girls?...
We’ve spent February discussing Albert Lewin’s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (listen), the perfectly serviceable remake of Friday the 13th (listen), and Pedro Almodóvar’s controversial 2011 thriller The Skin I Live In (listen). Now we’re wrapping up the month with Neil Jordan’s wacky May/December stalker film, Greta (2018).
In the film, Chloë Grace Moretz plays Frances, a new to New York girl who befriends an older woman, Greta (Isabelle Huppert) after returning her lost purse. While the pair strike up an unlikely friendship, Frances’ roommate Erica (Maika Monroe) finds the relationship unusual.
What Frances doesn’t know is that Greta is more than a sad, lonely old woman. She’s got secrets in a trunk, a syringe full of sedatives, and a penchant for burying her secrets, including private investigator Stephen Rea, in the basement.
Will Frances wind up like all of Greta’s other girls?...
- 3/4/2024
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
I am Vicente.
After kicking off February with discussions of Albert Lewin’s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (listen) and the perfectly serviceable remake of Friday the 13th (listen), we’re delving into the twisted mind of Pedro Almodóvar with his 2011 thriller The Skin I Live In.
In The Skin I Live In, skilled plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) has tried to develop a new super skin ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in a car accident 12 years prior. Finally, Ledgard has created a skin that guards the body, but is still sensitive to touch. With the aid of his faithful housekeeper Marilia (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard tests his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), a woman he keeps prisoner against her will in the basement of his Spanish mansion.
Being an Almodóvar film, there’s much more to this twisted plot than meets they eye.
After kicking off February with discussions of Albert Lewin’s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (listen) and the perfectly serviceable remake of Friday the 13th (listen), we’re delving into the twisted mind of Pedro Almodóvar with his 2011 thriller The Skin I Live In.
In The Skin I Live In, skilled plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) has tried to develop a new super skin ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in a car accident 12 years prior. Finally, Ledgard has created a skin that guards the body, but is still sensitive to touch. With the aid of his faithful housekeeper Marilia (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard tests his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), a woman he keeps prisoner against her will in the basement of his Spanish mansion.
Being an Almodóvar film, there’s much more to this twisted plot than meets they eye.
- 2/27/2024
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
British Buggery.
After closing out January with the very gay (and very terrible) The Covenant (listen) and the pseudo-remake of Single White Female: The Roommate (listen), we kicked off February with journey to the world of H.P. Lovecraft in Re-Animator. Now, we’re traveling back in time to discuss Albert Lewin‘s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders), tells his friend Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) that men should pursue their sensual longings, but laments that only the young get to do so. Taken with the idea, Dorian inadvertently makes a Faustian bargain to stay young forever. His wish comes true, and his boyish looks aid him as he indulges his every whim. Unfortunately, his sins take physical form on a portrait of himself, and as the years go by he must decide what type of man he wants to be.
After closing out January with the very gay (and very terrible) The Covenant (listen) and the pseudo-remake of Single White Female: The Roommate (listen), we kicked off February with journey to the world of H.P. Lovecraft in Re-Animator. Now, we’re traveling back in time to discuss Albert Lewin‘s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders), tells his friend Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) that men should pursue their sensual longings, but laments that only the young get to do so. Taken with the idea, Dorian inadvertently makes a Faustian bargain to stay young forever. His wish comes true, and his boyish looks aid him as he indulges his every whim. Unfortunately, his sins take physical form on a portrait of himself, and as the years go by he must decide what type of man he wants to be.
- 2/12/2024
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Catering directly to my interests, the Criterion Channel’s January lineup boasts two of my favorite things: James Gray and cats. In the former case it’s his first five features (itself a terrible reminder he only released five movies in 20 years); the latter shows felines the respect they deserve, from Kuroneko to The Long Goodbye, Tourneur’s Cat People and Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers. Meanwhile, Ava Gardner, Bertrand Tavernier, Isabel Sandoval, Ken Russell, Juleen Compton, George Harrison’s HandMade Films, and the Sundance Film Festival get retrospectives.
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
One of the year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
One of the year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...
- 12/23/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, alongside his 1999 short film Judgement, as well as Bi Gan’s new short A Shory Story and his second feature Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and Peter Strickland’s new short.
Additional highlights include new episodes of Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom Exodus, Denis Côté’s That Kind of Summer (which we caught at Berlinale earlier this year), Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher trilogy ahead of his imminent new project, and an Abel Ferrara double bill to close out 2022.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
December 1 – That Kind of Summer, directed by Denis Côté | Luminaries
December 2 – The Cat’s Meow, directed by Peter Bogdanovich
December 3 – La chinoise, directed by Jean-Luc Godard | For Ever Godard
December 4 – The Kingdom Exodus: The Congress Dances, directed by Lars von Trier | The Kingdom Exodus
December 5 – Judgement,...
Additional highlights include new episodes of Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom Exodus, Denis Côté’s That Kind of Summer (which we caught at Berlinale earlier this year), Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher trilogy ahead of his imminent new project, and an Abel Ferrara double bill to close out 2022.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
December 1 – That Kind of Summer, directed by Denis Côté | Luminaries
December 2 – The Cat’s Meow, directed by Peter Bogdanovich
December 3 – La chinoise, directed by Jean-Luc Godard | For Ever Godard
December 4 – The Kingdom Exodus: The Congress Dances, directed by Lars von Trier | The Kingdom Exodus
December 5 – Judgement,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The sad news of the death of Angela Lansbury, just a few days shy of her 97th birthday, brought to an end one of the longest and most storied careers in Hollywood history. While she will perhaps be best remembered for the 265 episodes (and four feature-length movies) she spent playing best-selling mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, a stint that earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most prolific amateur sleuth”, Lansbury packed her eight decades on stage and screen with a host of memorable roles. To each of them, she brought a whimsical humour and gentle warmth which could sometimes mask her deceptively sharp wit.
Born on 16 October 1925 in Regent’s Park, London, Lansbury left Britain with her family after the onset of the blitz in 1940. Her mother, the Belfast-born actor Moyna Macgill, moved Lansbury and her brothers Bruce and Edgar to New York,...
Born on 16 October 1925 in Regent’s Park, London, Lansbury left Britain with her family after the onset of the blitz in 1940. Her mother, the Belfast-born actor Moyna Macgill, moved Lansbury and her brothers Bruce and Edgar to New York,...
- 10/12/2022
- The Independent - Film
The sad news of the death of Angela Lansbury, just a few days shy of her 97th birthday, brought to an end one of the longest and most storied careers in Hollywood history. While she will perhaps be best remembered for the 265 episodes (and four feature-length movies) she spent playing best-selling mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, a stint that earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most prolific amateur sleuth”, Lansbury packed her eight decades on stage and screen with a host of memorable roles. To each of them, she brought a whimsical humour and gentle warmth which could sometimes mask her deceptively sharp wit.
Born on 16 October 1925 in Regent’s Park, London, Lansbury left Britain with her family after the onset of the blitz in 1940. Her mother, the Belfast-born actor Moyna Macgill, moved Lansbury and her brothers Bruce and Edgar to New York,...
Born on 16 October 1925 in Regent’s Park, London, Lansbury left Britain with her family after the onset of the blitz in 1940. Her mother, the Belfast-born actor Moyna Macgill, moved Lansbury and her brothers Bruce and Edgar to New York,...
- 10/12/2022
- The Independent - TV
Angela Lansbury was a versatile star, with films including, clockwise from top left, The Court Jester, The Manchurian Candidate, Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Beauty And The Beast The film world paid tribute tonight to Angela Lansbury, who has died at the age of 96.
The British-born star, who would have turned 97 on October 16, had a wide-ranging career on stage, TV and screen spanning 75-years, including roles in classics such as Bedknobs And Broomsticks, The Manchurian Candidate and Beauty And The Beast.
The three-time Oscar nominee - who also became a household name for TV fans with Murder She Wrote - "died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles" her family said.
Born in London in 1925, Lansbury moved to the US as a young woman and picked up her first movie role, in George Cukor's Gaslight, in 1944, for which she picked up her first Academy Award nomination. She was nominated again...
The British-born star, who would have turned 97 on October 16, had a wide-ranging career on stage, TV and screen spanning 75-years, including roles in classics such as Bedknobs And Broomsticks, The Manchurian Candidate and Beauty And The Beast.
The three-time Oscar nominee - who also became a household name for TV fans with Murder She Wrote - "died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles" her family said.
Born in London in 1925, Lansbury moved to the US as a young woman and picked up her first movie role, in George Cukor's Gaslight, in 1944, for which she picked up her first Academy Award nomination. She was nominated again...
- 10/11/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Click here to read the full article.
Late in 1971, a shaggy, 23-year-old college student and aspiring screenwriter was toiling away at his master’s thesis at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Born Feb. 2, 1948, in Waukegan, Illinois, David Ray Johnson displayed nothing particularly remarkable at first glance. He stood about 5-foot-7, had long brown hair and a thick mustache, and was “your basic Midwestern kid,” as one friend would later describe him.
But he was not entirely basic. Johnson was openly gay and rather flamboyant. He was entranced by drag queens. He spoke with a breathy, halting affectation. He’d often declare of things that met his approval, “What a hoot!”
And he was obsessed with Mae West.
The pioneering sex symbol was the subject of Johnson’s film studies thesis. The 72-page dissertation, “An Historical and Interpretive Analysis of the Development and Perpetuation of the Mae West Phenomenon on...
Late in 1971, a shaggy, 23-year-old college student and aspiring screenwriter was toiling away at his master’s thesis at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Born Feb. 2, 1948, in Waukegan, Illinois, David Ray Johnson displayed nothing particularly remarkable at first glance. He stood about 5-foot-7, had long brown hair and a thick mustache, and was “your basic Midwestern kid,” as one friend would later describe him.
But he was not entirely basic. Johnson was openly gay and rather flamboyant. He was entranced by drag queens. He spoke with a breathy, halting affectation. He’d often declare of things that met his approval, “What a hoot!”
And he was obsessed with Mae West.
The pioneering sex symbol was the subject of Johnson’s film studies thesis. The 72-page dissertation, “An Historical and Interpretive Analysis of the Development and Perpetuation of the Mae West Phenomenon on...
- 6/17/2022
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Criterion Channel has unveiled their March 2021 lineup, which includes no shortage of remarkable programming. Highlights from the slate include eight gems from Preston Sturges, Elaine May’s brilliant A New Leaf, a series featuring Black Westerns, Ann Hui’s Boat People, the new restoration of Ousmane Sembène’s Mandabi.
They will also add films from their Essential Fellini boxset, series on Dirk Bogarde and Nelly Kaplan, and Luchino Visconti’s The Damned and Death in Venice, and more. In terms of recent releases, there’s also Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century and Claire Denis’ Let the Sunshine In.
Check out the lineup below, along with the teaser for the Black Westerns series. For weekly streaming updates across all services, bookmark this page.
The Adventurer, Charles Chaplin, 1917
Bandini, Bimal Roy, 1963
Behind the Screen, Charles Chaplin, 1916
Black Jack, Ken Loach, 1979
Black Rodeo, Jeff Kanew, 1972
Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen,...
They will also add films from their Essential Fellini boxset, series on Dirk Bogarde and Nelly Kaplan, and Luchino Visconti’s The Damned and Death in Venice, and more. In terms of recent releases, there’s also Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century and Claire Denis’ Let the Sunshine In.
Check out the lineup below, along with the teaser for the Black Westerns series. For weekly streaming updates across all services, bookmark this page.
The Adventurer, Charles Chaplin, 1917
Bandini, Bimal Roy, 1963
Behind the Screen, Charles Chaplin, 1916
Black Jack, Ken Loach, 1979
Black Rodeo, Jeff Kanew, 1972
Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen,...
- 2/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"The Furniture," by Daniel Walber. (Click on the images for magnified detail)
Watching The Picture of Dorian Gray as a horror film in this, its 75th anniversary year, is a bit of a puzzle. It’s almost unrecognizable within the genre, though director Albert Lewin does treat the revelation of the deformed painting itself as something of a jump scare. But the overall vibe is more akin to a period drama or a film noir than anything we would consider spooky today.
That is, until you think about it a little more closely.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an atmospheric horror film about things that don’t necessarily scare us nearly as much anymore: arrogance, beauty and the simple fact of sexuality. In this way it does actually resemble the great horror films of its time, monster movies that make much out of giant laboratories and cavernous castles, unnerving...
Watching The Picture of Dorian Gray as a horror film in this, its 75th anniversary year, is a bit of a puzzle. It’s almost unrecognizable within the genre, though director Albert Lewin does treat the revelation of the deformed painting itself as something of a jump scare. But the overall vibe is more akin to a period drama or a film noir than anything we would consider spooky today.
That is, until you think about it a little more closely.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an atmospheric horror film about things that don’t necessarily scare us nearly as much anymore: arrogance, beauty and the simple fact of sexuality. In this way it does actually resemble the great horror films of its time, monster movies that make much out of giant laboratories and cavernous castles, unnerving...
- 10/28/2020
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmExperience
The November 2020 lineup for The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, toplined by a Claire Denis retrospective, including the brand-new restoration of Beau travail, along with Chocolat, No Fear, No Die, Nenette and Boni, Towards Mathilde, 35 Shots of Rum, and White Material.
There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.
There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.
See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.
There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.
There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.
See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.
- 10/27/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
"Pandora and the Flying Dutchman", director Albert Lewin's 1951 drama based on the legend of the 'Flying Dutchman', starring Ava Gardner, James Mason, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim, Harold Warrender, Mario Cabré and Marius Goring, will be released theatrically in a new 4K restoration, February 7, 2020:
"...in 1930, fishermen in the small Spanish port of 'Esperanza' make a grim discovery in their nets, the bodies of a man and a woman.
"The resultant ringing of church bells in the village brings the local police and the resident archaeologist, 'Geoffrey Fielding' (Harold Warrender), to the beach.
"Fielding returns to his villa, and, breaking the 'fourth wall', retells the story of these two people to the audience.
"Esperanza's small group of English expatriates revolves around 'Pandora Reynolds' (Ava Gardner), an American nightclub singer and femme fatale.
"All the men love her (or believe that they do), but Pandora is unable to love anyone. She...
"...in 1930, fishermen in the small Spanish port of 'Esperanza' make a grim discovery in their nets, the bodies of a man and a woman.
"The resultant ringing of church bells in the village brings the local police and the resident archaeologist, 'Geoffrey Fielding' (Harold Warrender), to the beach.
"Fielding returns to his villa, and, breaking the 'fourth wall', retells the story of these two people to the audience.
"Esperanza's small group of English expatriates revolves around 'Pandora Reynolds' (Ava Gardner), an American nightclub singer and femme fatale.
"All the men love her (or believe that they do), but Pandora is unable to love anyone. She...
- 2/6/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbel Ferrara's SiberiaThe Berlin Film Festival Competition lineup has finally been unveiled, revealing a roster of heavy hitters that includes Ilya Khrzhanovsky's controversial installation project Dau, Abel Ferrara's long-delayed Siberia, Hong Sang-soo's latest The Woman Who Ran, and the anticipated return of Christian Petzold, Rithy Panh, Tsai Ming-liang, Sally Potter, and Philippe Garrel. Actor, writer, and director Terry Jones, best known for his involvement in the Monty Python comedy group and for directing the 1983 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, has died. Recommended VIEWINGGrasshopper Films has released a trailer for Pedro Costa's bold Vitalina Varela, about a woman who arrives in Lisbon from Cape Verde to attend her estranged husband's funeral. Upon its premiere at 2019's Locarno Film Festival, editor Daniel Kasman described it as "a film of fierce determination and paramount resonance.
- 1/29/2020
- MUBI
"Pandora and the Flying Dutchman", director Albert Lewin's 1951 Brit Technicolor drama based on the legend of the 'Flying Dutchman', starring Ava Gardner, James Mason, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim, Harold Warrender, Mario Cabré and Marius Goring, will be released theatrically as a 4K restored release February 7, 2020:
"...in 1930, fishermen in the small Spanish port of 'Esperanza' make a grim discovery in their nets, the bodies of a man and a woman. The resultant ringing of church bells in the village brings the local police and the resident archaeologist, 'Geoffrey Fielding' (Harold Warrender), to the beach. Fielding returns to his villa, and, breaking the 'fourth wall', retells the story of these two people to the audience.
"Esperanza's small group of English expatriates revolves around 'Pandora Reynolds' (Ava Gardner), an American nightclub singer and femme fatale. All the men love her (or believe that they do), but Pandora is unable to love anyone.
"...in 1930, fishermen in the small Spanish port of 'Esperanza' make a grim discovery in their nets, the bodies of a man and a woman. The resultant ringing of church bells in the village brings the local police and the resident archaeologist, 'Geoffrey Fielding' (Harold Warrender), to the beach. Fielding returns to his villa, and, breaking the 'fourth wall', retells the story of these two people to the audience.
"Esperanza's small group of English expatriates revolves around 'Pandora Reynolds' (Ava Gardner), an American nightclub singer and femme fatale. All the men love her (or believe that they do), but Pandora is unable to love anyone.
- 1/24/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Just about the best cinematic gift one could receive is a new restoration of a Technicolor classic shot by Jack Cardiff. Such a present has now arrived with the new 4K restoration of Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. Directed by Albert Lewin, the 1951 British production follows the seductive Pandora Reynolds (Ava Gardner) who falls in love with a mysterious ship’s captain named Hendrik van der Zee (James Mason).
Coming to NYC’s Quad Cinema on February 7 followed by La’s Royal on February 21, we’re pleased to premiere the new trailer which shows off the glorious new restoration, which took more than 700 hours to complete and featured the removal of age-related damage to 177,120 individual frames of the film. A favorite of Martin Scorsese, he shared his personal print to use as a color reference for this restoration, and remarked, “Watching this film is like entering a strange and wonderful dream.
Coming to NYC’s Quad Cinema on February 7 followed by La’s Royal on February 21, we’re pleased to premiere the new trailer which shows off the glorious new restoration, which took more than 700 hours to complete and featured the removal of age-related damage to 177,120 individual frames of the film. A favorite of Martin Scorsese, he shared his personal print to use as a color reference for this restoration, and remarked, “Watching this film is like entering a strange and wonderful dream.
- 1/24/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Night Tide
Blu ray
Powerhouse/Indicator
1960/ 1:85:1 / 86 min.
Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson
Directed by Curtis Harrington
During the early fifties, an anxious era that leaned on fanciful songs like Faraway Places, Beyond the Sea and Robert Maxwell’s Ebb Tide, Curtis Harrington wrote a similarly dreamy fable called The Girl from Beneath the Sea. The 34 year old director’s script was finally produced in 1960 and premiered as Night Tide at the Spoleto Film Festival in 1961. Thanks to Filmgroup, Roger Corman’s distribution company, the movie reached American theaters in 1963. Instead of the windswept romance of Maxwell’s song, ticket buyers were treated to a fatalistic thriller with the unpredictable qualities of a New Wave film.
Dennis Hopper plays Johnny Drake, a navy recruit from the arid climes of Oklahoma. Though he looks seaworthy in his white uniform and cap he still seems pretty landlocked, ambling through the beachfront...
Blu ray
Powerhouse/Indicator
1960/ 1:85:1 / 86 min.
Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson
Directed by Curtis Harrington
During the early fifties, an anxious era that leaned on fanciful songs like Faraway Places, Beyond the Sea and Robert Maxwell’s Ebb Tide, Curtis Harrington wrote a similarly dreamy fable called The Girl from Beneath the Sea. The 34 year old director’s script was finally produced in 1960 and premiered as Night Tide at the Spoleto Film Festival in 1961. Thanks to Filmgroup, Roger Corman’s distribution company, the movie reached American theaters in 1963. Instead of the windswept romance of Maxwell’s song, ticket buyers were treated to a fatalistic thriller with the unpredictable qualities of a New Wave film.
Dennis Hopper plays Johnny Drake, a navy recruit from the arid climes of Oklahoma. Though he looks seaworthy in his white uniform and cap he still seems pretty landlocked, ambling through the beachfront...
- 1/21/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
F.J. Ossang's Doctor Chance (1997) is showing on Mubi in December and January, 2018 as part of the series F.J. Ossang: Cinema Is Punk.“Out into the halls again, past dark Coke machines, and there he is lying horizontally across a metal folding chair like he’s practicing a levitation trick, both ragged cowboy boots propped up on a metal desk. He’s blue. That’s the first thing that strikes me. He’s all blue from the eyes clear down through his clothes. First thing he says to me, ‘We don’t have to make any connections.’ At first I’m not sure if he’s talking about us personally or the movie. ‘None of this has to connect, in fact it is better if it doesn’t connect.’“ —Sam Shepard, Rolling Thunder Logbook“The world has a new form of beauty: speed. Art is dead.” —Angstel Presley von...
- 12/13/2018
- MUBI
Shirô Toyoda's Jigohuken or Portrait of Hell (1969) builds steadily to a shattering penultimate sequence, then peters out in a disappointing denouement. If you cut the climax off, I bet it would haunt people forever, and such is the power of its individual high points that it still commands attention.The great Tatsuya Nakadai (Harakiri, Ran) plays a Korean painter at the court of a nasty lord who fancies his daughter. Both men are tyrants: Nakadai forbids his daughter to marry her lover because he's not Korean, but then has her taken away from him by the corrupt and lascivious ruler. He then conceives the idea of a painting of the inferno: his patron/tormentor, the lord, doubts his ability to render so abstract a concept, but Nakadai says he sees Hell all around him, so it will be no particular challenge.This is all good stuff. Nakadai is superhumanly intense,...
- 1/17/2018
- MUBI
David O. Selznick’s marvelous romantic fantasy ode to Jennifer Jones was almost wholly unappreciated back in 1948. It’s one of those peculiar pictures that either melts one’s heart or doesn’t. Backed by a music score adapted from Debussy, just one breathy “Oh Eben . . . “ will turn average romantics into mush.
Portrait of Jennie
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&W w/ Color Insert / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne, Albert Sharpe.
Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Production Designers: J. MacMillan Johnson, Joseph B. Platt
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin, also adapting themes from Claude Debussy; Bernard Herrmann
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Peter Berneis, Paul Osborn, from the novella by Robert Nathan
Produced by David O. Selznick
Directed by William Dieterle
Once upon a time David O. Selznick’s Portrait of Jennie was an...
Portrait of Jennie
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&W w/ Color Insert / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne, Albert Sharpe.
Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Production Designers: J. MacMillan Johnson, Joseph B. Platt
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin, also adapting themes from Claude Debussy; Bernard Herrmann
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Peter Berneis, Paul Osborn, from the novella by Robert Nathan
Produced by David O. Selznick
Directed by William Dieterle
Once upon a time David O. Selznick’s Portrait of Jennie was an...
- 10/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Annie Clark, also known as St. Vincent, will make her feature directorial debut with Lionsgate’s adaptation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” the only novel ever written by prolific British playwright Oscar Wilde. Variety initially reported the news.
Read More:Tribeca Review: Infectious And Joyful Dance Documentary ‘Contemporary Color’ Featuring David Byrne, St. Vincent, And More
Adding a contemporary twist to the Victorian novel about a narcissistic young man who stays young while his portrait ages, the title character will be a woman. David Birke, who wrote the script for Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” will pen the adaptation with Clark directing.
The multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter began her career as a member of the band The Polyphonic Spree and toured with Sufjan Stevens. Her fourth solo album, self-titled St. Vincent, won a Grammy award for Best Alternative Album in 2015. Clark’s previous film, a short titled “Xx,” premiered at the Sundance Film...
Read More:Tribeca Review: Infectious And Joyful Dance Documentary ‘Contemporary Color’ Featuring David Byrne, St. Vincent, And More
Adding a contemporary twist to the Victorian novel about a narcissistic young man who stays young while his portrait ages, the title character will be a woman. David Birke, who wrote the script for Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” will pen the adaptation with Clark directing.
The multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter began her career as a member of the band The Polyphonic Spree and toured with Sufjan Stevens. Her fourth solo album, self-titled St. Vincent, won a Grammy award for Best Alternative Album in 2015. Clark’s previous film, a short titled “Xx,” premiered at the Sundance Film...
- 8/16/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Here’s a real gem — a ‘classic’ Chekhov story turned into a compelling tale of lust and murder. George Sanders and Linda Darnell shine as a judge and the peasant girl who intrigues him; Edward Everett Horton is excellent cast against type in a dramatic role.
Summer Storm
DVD
Sprocket Vault / Kit Parker
1944 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 106 min. / Street Date October 20, 2009 (I’m a little late) / available through Sprocket Vault / 14.99
Starring: George Sanders, Edward Everett Horton, Linda Darnell, Anna Lee, Hugo Haas, Lori Lahner, Sig Ruman, Robert Greig, Byron Foulger, Mike Mazurki, Elizabeth Russell.
Cinematography: Archie Stout, Eugen Schüfftan
Art Direction: Rudi Feld
Collaborating Editor: Gregg G. Tallas
Original Music: Karl Hajos
Written by Roland Leigh, Douglas Sirk (as Michael O’Hara), Robert Theoren based on the play The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov
Produced by Seymour Nebenzal
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk, born Hans Detlef Sierck, had a pretty amazing career.
Summer Storm
DVD
Sprocket Vault / Kit Parker
1944 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 106 min. / Street Date October 20, 2009 (I’m a little late) / available through Sprocket Vault / 14.99
Starring: George Sanders, Edward Everett Horton, Linda Darnell, Anna Lee, Hugo Haas, Lori Lahner, Sig Ruman, Robert Greig, Byron Foulger, Mike Mazurki, Elizabeth Russell.
Cinematography: Archie Stout, Eugen Schüfftan
Art Direction: Rudi Feld
Collaborating Editor: Gregg G. Tallas
Original Music: Karl Hajos
Written by Roland Leigh, Douglas Sirk (as Michael O’Hara), Robert Theoren based on the play The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov
Produced by Seymour Nebenzal
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk, born Hans Detlef Sierck, had a pretty amazing career.
- 3/18/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Barefoot Contessa
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1954 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 130 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Marius Goring, Rossano Brazzi, Valentina Cortese, Elizabeth Sellars, Warren Stevens, Enzo Staiola, Mari Aldon, Bessie Love.
Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Written, Produced and Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
As a teenager, many of my first and strongest movie impressions came not from the movies, but from certain critics. I memorized Robin Wood’s analysis before getting a look at Hitchcock’s Psycho. Raymond Durgnat introduced me to Georges Franju and Luis Buñuel, and I first learned to appreciate a number of great movies including The Barefoot Contessa from Richard Corliss, a terrific critic who championed writers over director-auteurs.
The Barefoot Contessa is a classically structured story, in that it could work as a novel; it’s told from several points of view.
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1954 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 130 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Marius Goring, Rossano Brazzi, Valentina Cortese, Elizabeth Sellars, Warren Stevens, Enzo Staiola, Mari Aldon, Bessie Love.
Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Written, Produced and Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
As a teenager, many of my first and strongest movie impressions came not from the movies, but from certain critics. I memorized Robin Wood’s analysis before getting a look at Hitchcock’s Psycho. Raymond Durgnat introduced me to Georges Franju and Luis Buñuel, and I first learned to appreciate a number of great movies including The Barefoot Contessa from Richard Corliss, a terrific critic who championed writers over director-auteurs.
The Barefoot Contessa is a classically structured story, in that it could work as a novel; it’s told from several points of view.
- 1/6/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Expatriate Francis Lederer is a cultured menace in UA's revisit of the Dracula myth, made just before Hammer Films staked its claim on the horror genre. Avid Hitchcock fans may find the storyline very familiar, when European cousin Bellac strikes up a 'special' relationship with his American cousin Rachel. The Return of Dracula Blu-ray Olive Films 1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, Ray Stricklyn, Virginia Vincent, John Wengraf. Cinematography Jack MacKenzie Film Editor Sherman A. Rose Original Music Gerald Fried Written by Pat Fielder Produced by Arthur Gardner, Jules V. Levy Directed by Paul Landres
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Levy-Gardner-Laven producing combo, minus Arnold Laven this time out, assemble what was probably their most successful drive-in cheapie for United Artists. Promoting their secretary Pat Fielder to screenwriter, they had already done okay with a contemporary, non-Gothic vampire story...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Levy-Gardner-Laven producing combo, minus Arnold Laven this time out, assemble what was probably their most successful drive-in cheapie for United Artists. Promoting their secretary Pat Fielder to screenwriter, they had already done okay with a contemporary, non-Gothic vampire story...
- 10/25/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for the Revivals section, taking place during the 54th New York Film Festival (Nyff). The Revivals section showcases masterpieces from renowned filmmakers whose diverse and eclectic works have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.
Read More: Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Documentary ‘The 13th’ Will Open 54th New York Film Festival
Some of the films in the lineup include plenty of Nyff debuts returning once again: Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers,” which was the the Nyff Opening Night selection in 1967, Robert Bresson’s “L’argent,” and Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County USA.” Also included are a program of Jacques Rivette’s early short films, Edward Yang’s second feature “Taipei Story,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” and Marlon Brando’s solo directorial effort “One-Eyed Jacks.”
The Nyff previously announced three of the films screening...
Read More: Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Documentary ‘The 13th’ Will Open 54th New York Film Festival
Some of the films in the lineup include plenty of Nyff debuts returning once again: Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers,” which was the the Nyff Opening Night selection in 1967, Robert Bresson’s “L’argent,” and Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County USA.” Also included are a program of Jacques Rivette’s early short films, Edward Yang’s second feature “Taipei Story,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” and Marlon Brando’s solo directorial effort “One-Eyed Jacks.”
The Nyff previously announced three of the films screening...
- 8/4/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
As much as we’re excited for the already enticing line-up for the 2016 New York Film Festival, their Revivals slate is always a place where one can discover a number of classics or revisit favorite films. This year is no different as they have newly restored films from Robert Bresson, Edward Yang, Jacques Rivette, Marlon Brando, Kenji Mizoguchi, and more. Check out the line-up below and return for our coverage this fall. If you don’t live in New York City, there’s a good chance a number of these restorations will travel in the coming months (or year) as well as get the home video treatment.
L’argent
Directed by Robert Bresson
1983, France, 83m
Robert Bresson’s final film, an adaptation of Tolstoy’s story The Forged Coupon, is simultaneously bleak and luminous, and sharp enough to cut diamonds. The story of a counterfeit bill’s passage from hand...
L’argent
Directed by Robert Bresson
1983, France, 83m
Robert Bresson’s final film, an adaptation of Tolstoy’s story The Forged Coupon, is simultaneously bleak and luminous, and sharp enough to cut diamonds. The story of a counterfeit bill’s passage from hand...
- 8/4/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Cad, bounder, dastard... look those words up in an old casting directory and you'll probably find a picture of George Sanders. Albert Lewin's best movie is a class-act period piece with terrific acting from Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Ann Dvorak, John Carradine, Warren William and many more, and a powerful '40s picture that most people haven't discovered, now handsomely restored. The Private Affairs of Bel Ami Blu-ray Olive Films 1947 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 112 min. / Street Date May 24, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95 Starring George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Ann Dvorak, John Carradine, Warren William, Susan Douglas, Albert Bassermann, Frances Dee, Marie Wilson, Katherine Emery, Richard Fraser. Cinematography Russell Metty Film Editor Joseph Albrecht Original Music Darius Milhaud Assistant Director Robert Aldrich Production Design Gordon Wiles Written by from the novel by Guy de Maupassant Produced by David L. Loew Written Directed by Albert Lewin
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 5/14/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Here's something for hardcore cineastes: an incredible restoration of Marcel L'Herbier's avant-garde silent feature, which looks unlike any other movie of its time. The weird story is about a Swedish engineer who wins the hand of famous singer by demonstrating a machine that can revive the dead. The film's designs are by score of famous architects and art notables of the Paris art scene circa 1924. L'Inhumaine Blu-ray Flicker Alley 1924 / Color tints / 1:33 Silent Aperture / min. / Street Date March 1, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Georgette Leblanc, Jacque Catelain, Léonid Walter de Malte, Philippe Hériat, Fred Kellerman, Robert Mallet-Stevens. Cinematography Roche, Georges Specht Art Direction, design, costumes, Claude Autant-Lara, Alberto Cavalcanti, Fernand Léger, Paul Poiret, Original Music Darius Milhaud (originally), Aidje Tafial / Alloy Orchestra Written by Pierre MacOrlan, Marcel L'Herbier, Georgette Leblanc Produced and Directed by Marcel L'Herbier
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Followers of art, architecture, literature and French art movies of the early 1920s...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Followers of art, architecture, literature and French art movies of the early 1920s...
- 2/21/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Looking to discover a top-quality film that honors lasting values? Jean Renoir gives Zachary Scott and Betty Field as Texas sharecroppers trying to survive a rough first year. It's beautifully written by Hugo Butler, with given realistic, earthy touches not found in Hollywood pix. And the transfer is a new UCLA restoration. With two impressive short subjects in equal good quality. The Southerner Blu-ray Kino Classics 1945 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 92 min. / Street Date February 9, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Betty Field, Beulah Bondi, Carol Naish, Norman Lloyd, Zachary Scott, Percy Kilbride, Charles Kemper, Blanche Yurka, Estelle Taylor, Paul Harvey, Noreen Nash, Nestor Paiva, Almira Sessions. Cinematography Lucien Andriot Film Editor Gregg C. Tallas Production Designer Eugène Lourié Assistant Director Robert Aldrich Original Music Werner Janssen Written by Hugo Butler, Jean Renoir from a novel by George Sessions Perry Produced by Robert Hakim, David L. Loew Directed by Jean Renoir...
- 1/26/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
What is the value of art in society, and what are the artist’s moral imperatives? How must artists reconcile their predisposition toward sensory indulgences with modern mores, particularly if they gravitate towards a lifestyle that is largely stigmatized? Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray examined all of these questions. It was a seminal work of Gothic horror literature, and, although he was a highly accomplished playwright and critic, this was the only novel of Wilde’s that was ever published.
Wilde's book tells the story of an artist named Basil Hallward, who finds something of a muse in the young man Dorian Gray. It is during one of his visits to Basil's studio that Dorian meets the ultra-hedonistic Lord Henry Wotton, who quickly "befriends" Dorian and persuades him that sensory indulgences and worldly pleasures are what life is truly about. Basil finishes his portrait of Dorian,...
Wilde's book tells the story of an artist named Basil Hallward, who finds something of a muse in the young man Dorian Gray. It is during one of his visits to Basil's studio that Dorian meets the ultra-hedonistic Lord Henry Wotton, who quickly "befriends" Dorian and persuades him that sensory indulgences and worldly pleasures are what life is truly about. Basil finishes his portrait of Dorian,...
- 5/9/2014
- by Brandon Engel
- www.culturecatch.com
Today sees the opening of "The Cabin In The Woods," one of the freshest, most enjoyable horror movies in years, one that we can only urge you to go see (read our review here). To mark its release, Time Out have polled critics, programmers and filmmakers as to their favorite horror movies, and collated their finds in a mammoth list.
Topped by "The Exorcist," it's an excellent read, and one you'll want to sit down with over the weekend, and as a taste, below you can find the top ten picks of ten of the most notable filmmaker contributors. You can find the full list, as well as picks from many, many more interesting figures, from Antonio Campos and Joe Dante to Simon Pegg and Rob Zombie, over at Time Out's site. And why not weigh in with your own ten picks over in the comments below?
Roger Corman ("The Pit & The Pendulum,...
Topped by "The Exorcist," it's an excellent read, and one you'll want to sit down with over the weekend, and as a taste, below you can find the top ten picks of ten of the most notable filmmaker contributors. You can find the full list, as well as picks from many, many more interesting figures, from Antonio Campos and Joe Dante to Simon Pegg and Rob Zombie, over at Time Out's site. And why not weigh in with your own ten picks over in the comments below?
Roger Corman ("The Pit & The Pendulum,...
- 4/13/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
In 1947 the former English professor, drama critic and leading MGM producer Albert Lewin wrote and directed a fascinating version of Maupassant's 1885 novel Bel Ami about the upward progress of the charming, untalented journalist Duroy (nicknamed "Bel Ami") in a corrupt late-19th-century Paris where the press are in cahoots with the politicians. George Sanders (who was Lord Henry Wotton in Lewin's The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1945) was marvellously suave (though somewhat too old) in the title role. Robert Pattinson, of current Twilight fame, plays Duroy in the fabulous-looking but oddly tepid movie debut of Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, the joint founders of the Cheek by Jowl theatre company. Pattinson doesn't dominate the movie as one fancies a young Alain Delon would have done 50 years ago under the direction of, say, Roger Vadim. But the women he exploits with increasing confidence – Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci – are excellent,...
- 3/12/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Jeanne Crain, A Letter to Three Wives DGA Awards vs. Academy Awards Pt.2: Foreign, Small, Controversial Movies Have Better Luck at the Oscars Since pre-1970 Directors Guild Award finalists often consisted of more than five directors, it was impossible to get an exact match for the DGA's and the Academy's lists of nominees. In the list below, the years before 1970 include DGA finalists (DGA) who didn't receive an Academy Award nod and, if applicable, those Academy Award-nominated directors (AMPAS) not found in the — usually much lengthier — DGA list. The label "DGA/AMPAS" means the directors in question received nominations for both the DGA Award and the Academy Award. The DGA Awards vs. Academy Awards list below goes from 1948 (the DGA Awards' first year) to 1952. Follow-up posts will cover the ensuing decades. The number in parentheses next to "DGA" indicates that year's number of DGA finalists if other than five.
- 1/10/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Bel Ami movie: Robert Pattinson The Bel Ami movie trailer was released a week ago. Now comes the Brazilian Bel Ami trailer (scroll down), which happens to be the (classy) English-language trailer with Portuguese subtitles. The text below is an expanded version of the article posted at the time of the original trailer's release. In the trailer, we get to watch Robert Pattinson play a radically different character from his lovestruck vampire in the Twilight movies. Instead of having sex with Breaking Dawn's virginal Kristen Stewart, in Bel Ami Pattinson keeps himself busy with the more mature Kristin Scott Thomas and a whole array of other females of varying ages, shapes, and civil and social statuses. Two veterans of the British stage, Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, directed this latest film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's novel about Georges Duroy, an impoverished but ambitious ex-soldier who uses his drive,...
- 12/30/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Horror maestro Tim Sullivan shares with doorQ.com his thoughts on his new Chillerama movie, the I Was A Teenage Werebear short, the Rising Star award for Sean Paul Lockhart (Brent Corrigan) and the best in Queer Fear. -Dqm
With 4th of July fireworks still bursting in the air, how fitting that this week also marks the arrival of Q Fest, Philadelphia’s premiere Lgbt film festival. Having just played San Francisco and Denver to great success, I Was a Teenage Werebear will screen this Friday, July 8th in the City of Freedom.
The response to Teenage Werebear and its playfully subversive message of tolerance and “Room For All” has been quite heartening and encouraging not only for me, but for my Chillerama partners in crime, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Adam Rifkin. The goal was to make something that particularly spoke to gay audiences, but at the same time...
With 4th of July fireworks still bursting in the air, how fitting that this week also marks the arrival of Q Fest, Philadelphia’s premiere Lgbt film festival. Having just played San Francisco and Denver to great success, I Was a Teenage Werebear will screen this Friday, July 8th in the City of Freedom.
The response to Teenage Werebear and its playfully subversive message of tolerance and “Room For All” has been quite heartening and encouraging not only for me, but for my Chillerama partners in crime, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Adam Rifkin. The goal was to make something that particularly spoke to gay audiences, but at the same time...
- 7/5/2011
- by The DoorQus Maximus
- doorQ.com
Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner in Robert Siodmak's The Killers Ava Gardner is Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month of November. The Gardner film series begins tonight with a presentation of about a dozen movies in which the sultry actress can be seen in starring and supporting roles, and in lots of bit parts as well. I'm not a fan of Robert Siodmak's The Killers (1946), a well-regarded film noir that earned the director an Academy Award nomination, but Gardner is excellent in a star-making turn and so is Elwood Bredell's black-and-white cinematography. Albert Lewin's generally dismissed Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) I find quite affecting, chiefly because of Gardner's performance as a woman who finds love in death. Though not as gripping or atmospheric, Pandora reminds me of William Dieterle's Portrait of Jennie, released three years earlier. Ava Gardner, in a role intended for Judy Garland...
- 11/4/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
"The measure of love is what one is willing to give up for it" archeologist Geoffrey Fielding (Harold Warrender) ponderously recalls. So goes the crux of Albert Lewin's lush technicolour fantasy from 1951, now available on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time after years in obscurity. Set in the Spanish port of Esperanza, and shot by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is a stunning curiosity - beautiful, elegiac and fabulously romantic.
James Mason stars as Hendrik, the titular Dutchman condemned to sail the seas for eternity, returning to land for 6 months every 7 years to seek a woman who will love him enough to give up her own life for him, and so break the curse. Ava Gardner is Pandora, a beautiful but manipulative young woman, idolised by all men but unable to fall in love with any of them. Despite finally being engaged to marry motoring enthusiast,...
James Mason stars as Hendrik, the titular Dutchman condemned to sail the seas for eternity, returning to land for 6 months every 7 years to seek a woman who will love him enough to give up her own life for him, and so break the curse. Ava Gardner is Pandora, a beautiful but manipulative young woman, idolised by all men but unable to fall in love with any of them. Despite finally being engaged to marry motoring enthusiast,...
- 8/9/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Barely heralded today among the midcentury Hollywood auteurs, Albert Lewin was as distinct in his personality as Alfred Hitchcock or Fritz Lang or Sam Fuller, and just as much of a terrarium-maker. His micro-worlds, including the new-to-disc 1951 classic Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, had a particularly dreamy vibe. His most-seen film, the 1945 version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, is unforgettable not for its fidelity to Wilde's morality play but for its very strange, doomed-romantic bell-jar effect, a movie seemingly made up entirely from Hurd Hatfield's cheekbones, Angela Lansbury's round eyes, a single Victorian tavern set, and mist.
- 8/6/2010
- Movieline
Once thought lost forever, the 1951 classic Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, starring Ava Gardner and James Mason, is coming to DVD and Blu-ray next month.
The movie was writer-producer-director Albert Lewin's deliriously romantic and contemporary Technicolor visualisation of the famous maritime folklore tale and starred two of Hollywood's own legends.
Ava Gardner, in what's described as a thinly-veiled portrait of herself, is destructive, demanding Pandora, who falls for charismatic James Mason as Hendrik, a 17th-century seaman. He turns out to be the accursed Flying Dutchman, eternally condemned to sail the oceans until he can find a woman willing to die for him.
Regarded as the quintessential Lewin film, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman was made independently of the Hollywood studios, and its original camera negative had been presumed lost for several decades.
Working from a nitrate separation positive and other sources, George Eastman House supervised a painstaking 35mm restoration of the film,...
The movie was writer-producer-director Albert Lewin's deliriously romantic and contemporary Technicolor visualisation of the famous maritime folklore tale and starred two of Hollywood's own legends.
Ava Gardner, in what's described as a thinly-veiled portrait of herself, is destructive, demanding Pandora, who falls for charismatic James Mason as Hendrik, a 17th-century seaman. He turns out to be the accursed Flying Dutchman, eternally condemned to sail the oceans until he can find a woman willing to die for him.
Regarded as the quintessential Lewin film, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman was made independently of the Hollywood studios, and its original camera negative had been presumed lost for several decades.
Working from a nitrate separation positive and other sources, George Eastman House supervised a painstaking 35mm restoration of the film,...
- 7/15/2010
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
To celebrate its 20th Anniversary, it appears as though the Tiff Cinematheque is set to pull out all the stops.
According to Criterion, the Tiff, formerly known as the Cinematheque Ontario, will be bringing out a rather superb and cartoonishly awesome summer schedule, that will include films ranging from Kurosawa pieces, to films from Pier Paolo Pasolini. Other films include a month long series dedicated to James Mason, Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales, a tribute to Robin Wood, and most interesting, a retrospective on the works of one Catherine Breillat.
Personally, while the Kurosawa, Pasolini, and Rohmer collections sound amazing, the Breillat series is ultimately the collective that I am most interested in. Ranging from films like the brilliant Fat Girl, to the superb and underrated Anatomy of Hell, these are some of the most interesting and under seen pieces of cinema of recent memory, and are more than...
According to Criterion, the Tiff, formerly known as the Cinematheque Ontario, will be bringing out a rather superb and cartoonishly awesome summer schedule, that will include films ranging from Kurosawa pieces, to films from Pier Paolo Pasolini. Other films include a month long series dedicated to James Mason, Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales, a tribute to Robin Wood, and most interesting, a retrospective on the works of one Catherine Breillat.
Personally, while the Kurosawa, Pasolini, and Rohmer collections sound amazing, the Breillat series is ultimately the collective that I am most interested in. Ranging from films like the brilliant Fat Girl, to the superb and underrated Anatomy of Hell, these are some of the most interesting and under seen pieces of cinema of recent memory, and are more than...
- 5/26/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Lebanon (15)
(Samuel Maoz, 2009, Israel) Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov. 93 mins
You can see why they made Top Gun about jet fighters. This is set entirely within the confines of an Israeli tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it's not much of a recruitment ad. The gimmick is both the movie's strength and its weakness. The space and visibility restrictions make this a neat minimalist thriller and a nervy, unpredictable combat experience, but it's one safely insulated from the questions – and victims – of the real-life conflict. Despite the sweat and grime, you feel like the really dirty stuff is going on elsewhere.
Robin Hood (12A)
(Ridley Scott, 2010, Us) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Mark Strong. 140 mins
Scott attempts to pull another Gladiator, ditching the familiar tights and tropes and reimagining the legend through a combination of mangled history, epic set pieces and deadly earnest heroism. It's more of a prequel,...
(Samuel Maoz, 2009, Israel) Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov. 93 mins
You can see why they made Top Gun about jet fighters. This is set entirely within the confines of an Israeli tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it's not much of a recruitment ad. The gimmick is both the movie's strength and its weakness. The space and visibility restrictions make this a neat minimalist thriller and a nervy, unpredictable combat experience, but it's one safely insulated from the questions – and victims – of the real-life conflict. Despite the sweat and grime, you feel like the really dirty stuff is going on elsewhere.
Robin Hood (12A)
(Ridley Scott, 2010, Us) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Mark Strong. 140 mins
Scott attempts to pull another Gladiator, ditching the familiar tights and tropes and reimagining the legend through a combination of mangled history, epic set pieces and deadly earnest heroism. It's more of a prequel,...
- 5/14/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
This bizarre 1951 fairy tale starring Ava Gardner and James Mason is an exotic, extraordinary creation, writes Andrew Pulver
Albert Lewin's 1951 film is a heady stew: part folk-myth, part deranged love story, part flamenco documentary – it's one of those unclassifiable efforts that threaten permanently to topple over the edge of ridiculousness, but somehow manage to avoid it. Told through the punctilious tones of archaelogist Geoffrey Fielding (Harold Warrender), this has James Mason as a sort of immortal drifter, waiting for the woman who will lift the curse of eternal damnation, and Ava Gardner as a temptress (whose name comes out of a very different school of mythology) whose cruel, using ways melt at one glance of Mason's oh-so-bruised and tormented eyes. It's set on the suitably exotic locale of a Spanish fishing village – shortly before its obliteration by hotel development, you have to assume – and although everyone moves and speaks at about half normal pace,...
Albert Lewin's 1951 film is a heady stew: part folk-myth, part deranged love story, part flamenco documentary – it's one of those unclassifiable efforts that threaten permanently to topple over the edge of ridiculousness, but somehow manage to avoid it. Told through the punctilious tones of archaelogist Geoffrey Fielding (Harold Warrender), this has James Mason as a sort of immortal drifter, waiting for the woman who will lift the curse of eternal damnation, and Ava Gardner as a temptress (whose name comes out of a very different school of mythology) whose cruel, using ways melt at one glance of Mason's oh-so-bruised and tormented eyes. It's set on the suitably exotic locale of a Spanish fishing village – shortly before its obliteration by hotel development, you have to assume – and although everyone moves and speaks at about half normal pace,...
- 5/13/2010
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Quentin Tarantino's a talented guy, but he'd be nowhere if he wasn't surrounded by so much talent--and in particular, the husband-wife pair of production designer David Wasco and set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco. Together, the two of them have created some of the most stylish productions of the last fifteen years, including Michael Mann's underrated visual feast, Collateral; both of Wes Andreson's best movies, The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore; and Pulp Fiction. It's hard to understate how pitch-perfect--and crucial--their work has been to every film. They teamed up again with Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, and spoke to Flavorwire about how they pulled off the garish, period look of the film.
Tarantino is famous for being a walking dictionary of film violence; similarly, the Wascos are have an encyclopedic knowledge of film, architecture, and design:
The set for Jack Rabbit Slim's, the nightclub in Pulp Fiction, has been noted in numerous articles about your work.
Tarantino is famous for being a walking dictionary of film violence; similarly, the Wascos are have an encyclopedic knowledge of film, architecture, and design:
The set for Jack Rabbit Slim's, the nightclub in Pulp Fiction, has been noted in numerous articles about your work.
- 8/24/2009
- by Cliff Kuang
- Fast Company
Director: Albert Lewin Writer(s): Oscar Wilde (novel), Albert Lewin (screenplay) Starring: Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Lowell Gilmore, Angela Lansbury Hurd Hatfield plays Dorian Gray, the weirdly handsome and incredibly disturbed man about town. Taking a shine to Dorian, Basil Hallward (Lowell Gilmore) offers to paint his portrait. During their last sitting, in pops Lord Henry (George Sanders) who begins to pester Dorian concerning the merits of youth and the tragedy of growing old, giving rise to some serious paranoia on Dorian's part. Dorian goes into a trance-like state, exclaiming, "If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it." And Dorian Gray's wish is granted. Dorian begins to frequent a rather seedy vaudevillian joint where he becomes enthralled with a young singer named Sibyl Vane,...
- 7/20/2009
- by Dirk Sonniksen
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
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