Film_Fatale
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Posts posted by Film_Fatale
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Based on this review from Variety, this is a book I'd definitely like to read this year:
*Ziegfeld: The Man Who Invented Show Business*
(St. Martin's; 335 Pgs.; $32.95) By Ethan Mordden
By LAURA CLARK
There's no doubt as to who forever changed Broadway in Ethan Mordden's biography "Ziegfeld: The Man Who Invented Show Business." Among the many questions that follow are how -- and with whom -- Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. did it.
In his meticulously researched and detailed portrait of the ultimate Rialto manager-producer, Mordden recalls with equal parts snark and smarts Ziegfeld's life and shows.
Flo, as he was often called, was born in Chicago in 1867, and showcased his first find, Eugen Sandow, at that city's World Fair in 1893. In an effort to put a spin on the expected, to "surprise and delight," as Mordden describes it, Ziegfeld not only put the European strongman on display, he also invited women to get a backstage closeup, an edgy variation that would come to define the Ziegfeld style: Find a unique talent and then riff on an old theme to create something new.
He created his "Follies," by adding a twist on the revue, honing the impresario skills he employed on hit tuners such as "Show Boat." Flo helped launch the careers of Fanny Brice, Will Rogers and Bert Williams, among others, shrewdly navigating warring producer factions along the way.
Mordden is candid and conversational, but casual readers might become overwhelmed at the sheer number of names and show titles. In the end, what we know about Ziegfeld is that he possessed a certain alchemy of tenacity, great timing and true showmanship. Mordden captures the glamour, the seduction of the stage and, of course, the women who seduced both audiences -- and Ziegfeld himself -- through their beauty and talent.
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939032.html?categoryid=1010&cs=1
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Good news for anyone who wasn't ready for the Feb. 17 digital TV switchover....
*Obama to sign bill on analog shutdown delay*
WASHINGTON ? White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama will sign a bill to give consumers more time to get ready for the switch from analog to digital television broadcasts. The switch under current law is set for Feb. 17.
The Senate earlier this week passed the bill to delay that until June, but it failed in the House under a procedure that required a two-thirds vote for passage.
The Senate passed the bill again Thursday night, and the House plans to take another run at it next week under regular procedures. That means a simple majority vote is required.
Gibbs said Obama will sign the bill because he wants more time to ensure that people don't lose their television signals.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_en_tv/obama_digital_tv
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Edwards, Ethan - John Wayne in *The Searchers*
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Paul Muni
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Nina Foch
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There's just something about long gloves.
Yes, there is. I love wearing them! :x
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Francois Truffaut had a small part in *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*
which also starred _Richard Dreyfuss_
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Lee Strasberg
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> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}
> I think that *cinematographer* must be the most difficult job in movies since a camaraman must be completely familiar with all lighting equipment and techniques (and be able to make up his own techniques when required), plus know the camera as well as light meters and reflective materials. He must be creative AND technical at the same time.
You're absolutely right about that. However, it's probably much easier to be a DP nowadays than it was back when most movies were made in black-and-white. Lighting things properly for B&W photography was quite challenging, by all accounts.
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Coming up on _Tuesday, February 10!_
*Romeo And Juliet* (1936)
Shakespeare's classic tale of young lovers from feuding families. Cast: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore. Dir: George Cukor. BW-125 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
_On February 14:_
*The Divorcee* (1930)
The double standard destroys a liberal couple's marriage. Cast: Norma Shearer, Chester Morris, Robert Montgomery. Dir: Robert Z. Leonard. BW-82 mins, TV-G, CC
_On February 18:_
*A Free Soul* (1931)
A hard-drinking lawyer's daughter falls for one of his underworld clients. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Norma Shearer, Clark Gable. Dir: Clarence Brown. BW-94 mins, TV-G, CC
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I'd say the cartoon Cantinflas could be a bit too cute at times!
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> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}
> Winton Hoch (pronounced Hoke or Huke) was one of only two cinematographers to win back to back Oscars - for Joan of Arc (1948) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949).
>
It's also remarkable that he won 3 Oscars in total. (Sharing one for *The Quiet Man* with his 2nd-unit DP).
You did a wonderful job of picking out stills and photos to illustrate all of your points, Wendy. Not sure how much it was up to Hoch and how much he was just following the director's instructions, but I think he would probably have been able to accomplish just about everything he'd been asked to do with a camera.
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Jan Sterling
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Blaine, Rick - Humphrey Bogart in *Casablanca*
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Well, now I can say I've seen the French poster for *Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte*.
Very nice poster, Kyle!
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> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}
> Beautiful caps, FF!
Thank you! Your stills are really lovely, too! :x
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*Turner Classic Movies tip for Jan. 30, 2009: The Night of the Hunter*
by Doug Krentzlin, DC Classic Media and Performing Arts Examiner
?The Night of the Hunter,? TCM, Fri., Jan. 30, 2009, 12:45 a.m. (EST)
The film version of Davis Grubb?s novel ?The Night of the Hunter? (1955) is unique among American movies; there has never been a film quite like it either before or after. The only movie directed by the great actor Charles Laughton, it is part fairy tale/part horror story. (In his book ?Danse Macabre,? Stephen King included ?The Night of the Hunter? among the ten scariest films ever made.)
Robert Mitchum, one of Hollywood?s most underrated actors, gave the greatest performance of his career as fraudulent ?Preacher? Harry Powell, a psychotic misogynist and serial killer preying on innocent victims in the rural communities of 1930s West Virginia. While serving a 30-day stint in jail, Harry learns from fellow prisoner Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who is sentenced to hang for murder and robbery, that the $10,000 he stole was never recovered by the authorities because he stashed it in a fool-proof hiding place.
After Harper is executed, Powell seeks out his widow Willa (Shelley Winters) and two children, John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce). After a brief courtship, Powell and Willa are married, but when he learns that she doesn?t know where the money is hidden, he murders her and pursues the children, who do know, across the countryside. Fortunately, John and Pearl eventually find refuge with Widow Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish as an earthy Fairy Godmother figure) and her adopted family.
Working closely with screenwriter James Agee, cinematographer Stanley Cortez and art director Hilyard Brown, Laughton created a haunting and deliberately unrealistic Expressionist atmosphere. Walter Schumann?s powerful avant-garde music score was also an invaluable contribution.
When first released, ?The Night of the Hunter? was a box-office failure, which is why Laughton (alas) never directed another picture. Now it is generally considered to be one of the most notable achievements in the history of American cinema.
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*HAPPY BIRTHDAY...*
*JOHN IRELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
(Jan. 30, 1914 - March 21, 1992)
*DOROTHY MALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
(Jan. 30, 1925)
*GENE HACKMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
(Jan. 30, 1930)
*VANESSA REDGRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
(Jan. 30, 1937)
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It's nice when they're able to show some Fox films.
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It's been a while since I've seen *Avanti!*. Not one of Wilder's best, I suppose, but he made some of his weaker films towards the end of his career.
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> {quote:title=Bargar wrote:}{quote}
> Prof. Maven.....I have been absent from class so I would "ditto" what FF said. I am looking
> forward to more. Cheers, Bg!
I don't think the professor heard us, Bargar.
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Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" only made a few movies in the U.S., but was a huge movie star in Latin America. How big was he? He was so big he even got his own animated TV series:
A to Z of Characters
in Games and Trivia
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Gambrelli, Maria - Elke Sommer in *A Shot in the Dark*