If you’ve been jealous of those across the pond that get access to The British Film Institute’s streaming service BFI Player Classics, one will be delighted to hear it’s now coming to the United States. Launching on May 14, the curated collection––which will have offering distinct from its UK counterpart––will kick off with over 200 British or British co-production films picked by BFI experts.
With work by legendary directors Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, Ken Russell, and Ken Loach, it also includes a number of ground-breaking British filmmakers who deserve more attention, including Horace Ové, Laura Mulvey, Ron Peck; Menelik Shabazz, Sally Potter, Gurinder Chadha (I’m British But… 1989), Waris Hussein, and John Akomfrah.
“BFI Player Classics brings together a collection of British films – the cinematic DNA of the UK – that is essential for anyone who wants to see and understand the best of British film,” said Robin Baker,...
With work by legendary directors Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, Ken Russell, and Ken Loach, it also includes a number of ground-breaking British filmmakers who deserve more attention, including Horace Ové, Laura Mulvey, Ron Peck; Menelik Shabazz, Sally Potter, Gurinder Chadha (I’m British But… 1989), Waris Hussein, and John Akomfrah.
“BFI Player Classics brings together a collection of British films – the cinematic DNA of the UK – that is essential for anyone who wants to see and understand the best of British film,” said Robin Baker,...
- 4/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
BFI Player Classics includes Alexander Mackendrick’s The Ladykillers (1955), Ken Russell’s feature debut French Dressing (1963).
The British Film Institute will launch BFI Player Classics as a stand-alone streaming service in the US featuring a curated roster of classic UK cinema on May 14.
The platform arrives with more than 200 UK or UK co-productions picked by BFI experts, and includes work from as Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, Ken Russell, and Ken Loach.
BFI Player Classics includes titles like Alexander Mackendrick’s The Ladykillers (1955), Russell’s feature debut French Dressing (1963), and Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol (1948).
Films not currently available across...
The British Film Institute will launch BFI Player Classics as a stand-alone streaming service in the US featuring a curated roster of classic UK cinema on May 14.
The platform arrives with more than 200 UK or UK co-productions picked by BFI experts, and includes work from as Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, Ken Russell, and Ken Loach.
BFI Player Classics includes titles like Alexander Mackendrick’s The Ladykillers (1955), Russell’s feature debut French Dressing (1963), and Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol (1948).
Films not currently available across...
- 4/23/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Lust-filled treachery in the steaming tropics! He dared to love a cannibal empress! Taglines like that suggest that it wasn’t easy to sell Carol Reed’s phenomenally good adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s classic, a tale of human self-degradation and malevolence in the tropics. Long difficult to see, it’s finally here to dazzle a generation that might appreciate its superb performances. Forget Lord Jim and Colonel Kurtz. Trevor Howard’s back-stabbing Peter Willems shows us the price of total betrayal: permanent banishment from humanity.
Outcast of the Islands
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&w / 1:37 flat / 100 93 min. / Street Date April 29, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Robert Morley, Wendy Hiller, Aissa, George Coulouris, Tamine, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Peter Illing, Betty Ann Davies, Frederick Valk, A.V. Bramble, Marne Maitland, James Kenney, Annabel Morley.
Cinematography: Edward Scaife, John Wilcox
Production Design: Vincent Korda
Second Unit Director: Guy Hamilton...
Outcast of the Islands
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&w / 1:37 flat / 100 93 min. / Street Date April 29, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Robert Morley, Wendy Hiller, Aissa, George Coulouris, Tamine, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Peter Illing, Betty Ann Davies, Frederick Valk, A.V. Bramble, Marne Maitland, James Kenney, Annabel Morley.
Cinematography: Edward Scaife, John Wilcox
Production Design: Vincent Korda
Second Unit Director: Guy Hamilton...
- 4/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
"You never should've gone to the police, you know." Studiocanal UK has debuted a brand new trailer for the 70th anniversary re-release of the film noir classic The Third Man. Directed by Carol Reed from an original script by Graham Greene, and first released in 1949, this film has gone on to become known as one of the most iconic mystery thrillers ever made. In the film, Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime. Orson Welles stars as Harry Lime, with Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee, Paul Hörbiger, and Ernst Deutsch. The B&w film is getting re-released in UK cinemas this September, but we haven't heard about anything in the Us yet (check Fathom Events). We also featured a new trailer for the 4K re-release of The Third Man a few years ago.
- 8/6/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“The Favourite” reaped a leading 12 nominations for the BAFTA Awards. Among these are bids for both Best Picture and Best British Film. But these two categories could cancel each other out in the minds of the BAFTA voters. Since the British academy reintroduced Best British Film in 1992, separate from the top award for Best Picture, only two movies have won both races.
“The King’s Speech” was the first film to pull off this double act at the BAFTAs in 2010 and it went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Last year, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” repeated this feat on home turf but lost the top Oscar race to “The Shape of Water.”
For Best Picture, “The Favourite” is up against two seven-time nominees — “Roma” and “A Star is Born” — as well as five-time contender “BlacKkKlansman” and four-time nominee “Green Book.” Its rivals for Best British Film are seven-time nominee “Bohemian Rhapsody,...
“The King’s Speech” was the first film to pull off this double act at the BAFTAs in 2010 and it went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Last year, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” repeated this feat on home turf but lost the top Oscar race to “The Shape of Water.”
For Best Picture, “The Favourite” is up against two seven-time nominees — “Roma” and “A Star is Born” — as well as five-time contender “BlacKkKlansman” and four-time nominee “Green Book.” Its rivals for Best British Film are seven-time nominee “Bohemian Rhapsody,...
- 2/6/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Retitled from The Honorary Consul and sold in America with one of Paramount’s sleaziest ad campaigns, John MacKenzie and Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of a Graham Greene novel features a fine Michael Caine performance, but prefers to stress sex scenes between star Richard Gere and Elpidia Carrillo. Just call it ‘Lust in the Argentine Littoral’ — but performed in English.
Beyond the Limit (The Honorary Consul)
Der Honorarkonsul
Blu-ray
1983 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date January 10, 2019 / Available through Amazon.de / Eur 14,99
Starring: Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins, Elpidia Carrillo, Joaquim de Almeida, A Martinez, Stephanie Cotsirilos, Domingo Ambriz, Geoffrey Palmer, Jorge Russek, Erika Carlsson, George Belanger.
Cinematography: Phil Meheux
Film Editor: Stuart Baird
Original Music: Stanley Myers
Written by Christopher Hampton from the novel by Graham Greene
Produced by Norma Heyman
Directed by John Mackenzie
Director John Mackenzie, fresh off his marvelous gift to the gangster film The Long Good Friday,...
Beyond the Limit (The Honorary Consul)
Der Honorarkonsul
Blu-ray
1983 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date January 10, 2019 / Available through Amazon.de / Eur 14,99
Starring: Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins, Elpidia Carrillo, Joaquim de Almeida, A Martinez, Stephanie Cotsirilos, Domingo Ambriz, Geoffrey Palmer, Jorge Russek, Erika Carlsson, George Belanger.
Cinematography: Phil Meheux
Film Editor: Stuart Baird
Original Music: Stanley Myers
Written by Christopher Hampton from the novel by Graham Greene
Produced by Norma Heyman
Directed by John Mackenzie
Director John Mackenzie, fresh off his marvelous gift to the gangster film The Long Good Friday,...
- 2/5/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Top stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida earn their keep in Carol Reed’s powerful tale of ambition and excellence performing forty feet above a circus arena. The best circus movie ever is also among Reed’s most exciting, best directed movies, a solid show all around.
Trapeze
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez, Sidney James, Johnny Puleo.
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Costume Design: Veniero Colasanti
Editorial Supervisor: Bert Batt
Production Design: Rino Mondelli
Dialogue Coach: Harriet White Medin
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by James R. Webb & Liam O’Brien from a novel by Max Catto
Produced by James Hill, Harold Hecht, Burt Lancaster
Directed by Carol Reed
For a long time it seemed that Carol Reed had been canonized for The Third Man, Odd Man Out and...
Trapeze
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez, Sidney James, Johnny Puleo.
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Costume Design: Veniero Colasanti
Editorial Supervisor: Bert Batt
Production Design: Rino Mondelli
Dialogue Coach: Harriet White Medin
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by James R. Webb & Liam O’Brien from a novel by Max Catto
Produced by James Hill, Harold Hecht, Burt Lancaster
Directed by Carol Reed
For a long time it seemed that Carol Reed had been canonized for The Third Man, Odd Man Out and...
- 8/18/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Allure (Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez)
Capturing the complexity of abuse is tough to accomplish when mainstream audiences clamor for black and white delineations between predator and prey. Some go the horror route for metaphorical terror focusing on the pursuer while others go dramatic for the helplessness of a victim unable to break free. Writer/directors (and photographers) Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez chose to throw out convention, using...
Allure (Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez)
Capturing the complexity of abuse is tough to accomplish when mainstream audiences clamor for black and white delineations between predator and prey. Some go the horror route for metaphorical terror focusing on the pursuer while others go dramatic for the helplessness of a victim unable to break free. Writer/directors (and photographers) Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez chose to throw out convention, using...
- 3/16/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” won the very first BAFTA Award of the evening on Feb. 18 when it was named Best British Film. And it ended the night by claiming the Best Picture prize. That marked just the second time since the British academy reintroduced Best British Film in 1992 that the same movie won both awards. The only other double dipper was “The King’s Speech,” which went to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2011.
It might seem odd that a film like “Three Billboards,” which is set in the American heartland, qualified for consideration as Best British Film. However, it was written and directed by an Englishman, Martin McDonagh, and co-financed by UK broadcaster Channel 4.
See 2018 BAFTA Awards: ‘Three Billboards’ wins 5 including Best Picture, ‘The Shape of Water’ takes 3 [Updating Live]
Over the last quarter century, seven other British films have been named Best Picture at the BAFTAs: “Howards End...
It might seem odd that a film like “Three Billboards,” which is set in the American heartland, qualified for consideration as Best British Film. However, it was written and directed by an Englishman, Martin McDonagh, and co-financed by UK broadcaster Channel 4.
See 2018 BAFTA Awards: ‘Three Billboards’ wins 5 including Best Picture, ‘The Shape of Water’ takes 3 [Updating Live]
Over the last quarter century, seven other British films have been named Best Picture at the BAFTAs: “Howards End...
- 2/18/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“Darkest Hour” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” each reaped nine nominations for the 2018 BAFTA Awards. Among these are bids for Best British Film. While that nomination for the former makes sense given the subject matter and pedigree of Joe Wright‘s biopic about prime minister Winston Churchill, the latter doesn’t appear to be British. However, while the film is set in the American heartland, it was written and directed by an Englishman, Martin McDonagh, and that qualified it for consideration in this category.
Both films also number among the five in contention for Best Picture, alongside the American-made “The Shape of Water” and the international co-productions “Call Me By Your Name” and “Dunkirk.” Fans of either of “Darkest Hour” or “Three Billboards” should be rooting for one of their rivals in the Best British Film race — “The Death of Stalin,” “God’s Own Country,” “Lady Macbeth” or “Paddington 2” — to win on Feb.
Both films also number among the five in contention for Best Picture, alongside the American-made “The Shape of Water” and the international co-productions “Call Me By Your Name” and “Dunkirk.” Fans of either of “Darkest Hour” or “Three Billboards” should be rooting for one of their rivals in the Best British Film race — “The Death of Stalin,” “God’s Own Country,” “Lady Macbeth” or “Paddington 2” — to win on Feb.
- 2/15/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Author: Competitions
To mark the release of Mandy on 12th June, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.
Six-year-old Mandy Garland (Mandy Miller) was born deaf. With concerns for her future, Christine (Phyllis Calvert: Twisted Nerve, Mr Denning Drives North) and Harry Garland (Terence Morgan: Sir Francis Drake) try to work out the best scenario for their daughter’s education, but before long their constant quarreling puts a strain on their relationship. Against Harry’s wishes, Mandy is enrolled in a special school under the guidance of headmaster Dick Searle (Jack Hawkins: The Cruel Sea, The Fallen Idol), whose unconventional teaching methods are questioned by some of the adults. But Christine forms a strong friendship with Mr Searle, who ultimately has the child’s best interests at heart and eventually helps Mandy to find her voice.
Boasting an all star cast and a breakout performance from Mandy Miller,...
To mark the release of Mandy on 12th June, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.
Six-year-old Mandy Garland (Mandy Miller) was born deaf. With concerns for her future, Christine (Phyllis Calvert: Twisted Nerve, Mr Denning Drives North) and Harry Garland (Terence Morgan: Sir Francis Drake) try to work out the best scenario for their daughter’s education, but before long their constant quarreling puts a strain on their relationship. Against Harry’s wishes, Mandy is enrolled in a special school under the guidance of headmaster Dick Searle (Jack Hawkins: The Cruel Sea, The Fallen Idol), whose unconventional teaching methods are questioned by some of the adults. But Christine forms a strong friendship with Mr Searle, who ultimately has the child’s best interests at heart and eventually helps Mandy to find her voice.
Boasting an all star cast and a breakout performance from Mandy Miller,...
- 6/5/2017
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chaplin writer to adapt novel for Wild Tales and Mad To Be Normal producers.
Bad Penny Productions has picked up rights to Graham Greene’s last published novel The Captain And The Enemy, which is being adapted for the big screen by screenwriter and novelist William Boyd (Chaplin).
The novel tells the story of a young boy named Victor Baxter taken away from his boarding school by a stranger to live in London. The mysterious stranger is simply known as “the Captain”.
In London Victor companions a sweet but withdrawn woman named Liza, serving as her conduit to the outside world. When Victor reaches manhood, he finally learns the secrets of the Captain.
The thriller includes smuggling, jewel theft and international espionage and culminates in a dramatic showdown in Panama.
In addition to Bad Penny’s Phin Glynn (Mad To Be Normal), other producers are Victor Glynn (That Good Night) and Axel Kuschevatzky (Wild Tales).
The film will...
Bad Penny Productions has picked up rights to Graham Greene’s last published novel The Captain And The Enemy, which is being adapted for the big screen by screenwriter and novelist William Boyd (Chaplin).
The novel tells the story of a young boy named Victor Baxter taken away from his boarding school by a stranger to live in London. The mysterious stranger is simply known as “the Captain”.
In London Victor companions a sweet but withdrawn woman named Liza, serving as her conduit to the outside world. When Victor reaches manhood, he finally learns the secrets of the Captain.
The thriller includes smuggling, jewel theft and international espionage and culminates in a dramatic showdown in Panama.
In addition to Bad Penny’s Phin Glynn (Mad To Be Normal), other producers are Victor Glynn (That Good Night) and Axel Kuschevatzky (Wild Tales).
The film will...
- 3/29/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
No Highway in the Sky
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 99 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring : James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Janette Scott, Niall MacGinnis, Kenneth More, Ronald Squire, Elizabeth Allan, Jill Clifford, Felix Aylmer, Dora Bryan, Maurice Denham, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Bessie Love, Karel Stepanek.
Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Film Editor: Manuel del Campo
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by: R.C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, Alec Coppel from the novel by Nevil Shute
Produced by: Louis D. Lighton
Directed by Henry Koster
A few years back, whenever a desired title came up on list for a Fox, Columbia or Warners’ Mod (made-on-demand) DVD, my first reaction was disappointment: we really want to see our favorites released in the better disc format, Blu-ray. But things have changed. As Mod announcements thin out, we have seen an explosion of library titles remastered in HD.
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 99 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring : James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Janette Scott, Niall MacGinnis, Kenneth More, Ronald Squire, Elizabeth Allan, Jill Clifford, Felix Aylmer, Dora Bryan, Maurice Denham, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Bessie Love, Karel Stepanek.
Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Film Editor: Manuel del Campo
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by: R.C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, Alec Coppel from the novel by Nevil Shute
Produced by: Louis D. Lighton
Directed by Henry Koster
A few years back, whenever a desired title came up on list for a Fox, Columbia or Warners’ Mod (made-on-demand) DVD, my first reaction was disappointment: we really want to see our favorites released in the better disc format, Blu-ray. But things have changed. As Mod announcements thin out, we have seen an explosion of library titles remastered in HD.
- 1/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ronald Bergan’s fine obituary of Michèle Morgan shows how, like so many other of Europe’s creative people, her life was fractured by fascism and war in the 1930s and 1940s.
Her performance in The Fallen Idol (1948) throws clear light on this. With the writer Graham Greene and the director Carol Reed at the top of their form, this little masterpiece is set in the embassy of a French-speaking nation in postwar London. Morgan plays a typist in love with the embassy’s English butler, Baines, superbly played by Ralph Richardson.
Continue reading...
Her performance in The Fallen Idol (1948) throws clear light on this. With the writer Graham Greene and the director Carol Reed at the top of their form, this little masterpiece is set in the embassy of a French-speaking nation in postwar London. Morgan plays a typist in love with the embassy’s English butler, Baines, superbly played by Ralph Richardson.
Continue reading...
- 12/30/2016
- by Patrick Renshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Retro Set a "loosely autobiographical review" of 20th Century Women
Variety there's a documentary coming about the men behind the classic "Curious George" books
The Guardian Dick Van Dyke, who is 91 years old, has confirmed that he has a part in Mary Poppins Returns playing the son of one of his two characters in the original (the ancient banker guy apparently rather than the chimney sweep)
Browbeat BAFTA makes a bold move, requiring some degree of diversity to be eligible for awards starting in 2019 (they offer several ways in which you can do that for those worried about artistic freedoms for filmmakers)
Towleroad a list of retailers you should shop at this Christmas since the anti-gay right wing is targeting them.
Decider the year in cinematic smoking
New Yorker their 16 most read stories this year
Coming Soon Legion, an X-Men spinoff TV series, gets a poster
Awards Daily Vancouver...
Variety there's a documentary coming about the men behind the classic "Curious George" books
The Guardian Dick Van Dyke, who is 91 years old, has confirmed that he has a part in Mary Poppins Returns playing the son of one of his two characters in the original (the ancient banker guy apparently rather than the chimney sweep)
Browbeat BAFTA makes a bold move, requiring some degree of diversity to be eligible for awards starting in 2019 (they offer several ways in which you can do that for those worried about artistic freedoms for filmmakers)
Towleroad a list of retailers you should shop at this Christmas since the anti-gay right wing is targeting them.
Decider the year in cinematic smoking
New Yorker their 16 most read stories this year
Coming Soon Legion, an X-Men spinoff TV series, gets a poster
Awards Daily Vancouver...
- 12/20/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Michele Morgan, famous for her role in The Fallen Idol, died Tuesday at her home in Paris. "The most beautiful eyes in cinema were permanently closed this morning," the family said in a statement. She was 96.
Considered one of the greatest actresses of French cinema, Morgan is best known as the girlfriend of an unhappily married butler (Ralph Richardson) whose wife dies accidentally in the 1948 film The Fallen Idol. It was nominated for two Oscars.
Morgan was born Feb. 29, 1920, in Neuilly-sur-Seine as Simone Renee Roussel. She left home when she was 15 to pursue acting and...
Considered one of the greatest actresses of French cinema, Morgan is best known as the girlfriend of an unhappily married butler (Ralph Richardson) whose wife dies accidentally in the 1948 film The Fallen Idol. It was nominated for two Oscars.
Morgan was born Feb. 29, 1920, in Neuilly-sur-Seine as Simone Renee Roussel. She left home when she was 15 to pursue acting and...
- 12/20/2016
- by Cheryl Cheng
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Elfin Rita Tushingham makes a smash film debut as Shelagh Delaney's dispirited working class teen, on her own in Manchester and unprepared for the harsh truths of life. It's one of the best of the British New Wave. A Taste of Honey Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 829 1961 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 100 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 23, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Rita Tushingham, Dora Bryan, Paul Danquah, Murray Melvin, Robert Stephens. Cinematography Walter Lassally Film Editor Anthony Gibbs Original Music John Addison Written by Tony Richardson and Shelagh Delaney adapted from her stage play Produced and directed by Tony Richardson
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The British New Wave got a real shot in the arm with 1961's A Taste of Honey. A stubbornly realistic drama about life in the lower working classes of Manchester, it was adapted from a near-revolutionary play by Shelagh Delaney, produced by Joan Littlewood. Here in...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The British New Wave got a real shot in the arm with 1961's A Taste of Honey. A stubbornly realistic drama about life in the lower working classes of Manchester, it was adapted from a near-revolutionary play by Shelagh Delaney, produced by Joan Littlewood. Here in...
- 8/15/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Since any New York cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Anthology Film Archive
Make it a Jean Cocteau weekend: The Blood of a Poet and Orpheus screen on Friday, the former also showing on Saturday and the latter on Sunday. Beauty and the Beast also shows on those days.
A Jia Zhangke retrospective comes to an end. If you’ve not yet seen Mountains May Depart,...
Anthology Film Archive
Make it a Jean Cocteau weekend: The Blood of a Poet and Orpheus screen on Friday, the former also showing on Saturday and the latter on Sunday. Beauty and the Beast also shows on those days.
A Jia Zhangke retrospective comes to an end. If you’ve not yet seen Mountains May Depart,...
- 5/27/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.NEWSDirector Guy Hamilton, Sean Connery, and Honor Blackman on the set of Goldfinger.We're still stunned from the sudden death of music legend Prince, at a time when Bowie is still on our minds and in our hearts.Last week we also lost director Guy Hamilton, an action director who began as an Ad for Carol Reed (on The Fallen Idol and The Third Man, among others), and best known for leading several James Bond entries, starting with Goldfinger in 1964.The Tribeca Film Festival wrapped in New York over the weekend, and the winners have been announced, including best international feature to Junction 48 and best documentary feature to Do Not Resist.There is no other cinematic project we're more looking forward to than 2017's continuation of David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks.
- 4/27/2016
- MUBI
facebook
twitter
google+
Guy Hamilton, who transformed James Bond, dies at the age of 93.
Guy Hamilton, best known for the his work on the James Bond movies, Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun, has died at the Hospital Juaneda Miramar in the city of Palma de Mallorca on the Spanish island of Mallorca. He was 93.
Hamilton raised the profile of the James Bond movies through his work with original film 007 actor Sean Connery and Roger Moore, who played the spy starting with Live and Let Die and in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun, which Hamilton directed.
"Incredibly, incredibly saddened to hear the wonderful director Guy Hamilton has gone to the great cutting room in the sky. 2016 is horrid," Moore wrote on Twitter.
Hamilton worked with Michael Caine on Battle of Britain and Harrison Ford on the 1978 adaptation of Force 10 from Navarone.
google+
Guy Hamilton, who transformed James Bond, dies at the age of 93.
Guy Hamilton, best known for the his work on the James Bond movies, Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun, has died at the Hospital Juaneda Miramar in the city of Palma de Mallorca on the Spanish island of Mallorca. He was 93.
Hamilton raised the profile of the James Bond movies through his work with original film 007 actor Sean Connery and Roger Moore, who played the spy starting with Live and Let Die and in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun, which Hamilton directed.
"Incredibly, incredibly saddened to hear the wonderful director Guy Hamilton has gone to the great cutting room in the sky. 2016 is horrid," Moore wrote on Twitter.
Hamilton worked with Michael Caine on Battle of Britain and Harrison Ford on the 1978 adaptation of Force 10 from Navarone.
- 4/21/2016
- Den of Geek
In 1969, Legendary British director Richard Lester (How I Won the War, A Hard Day's Night) joined with former members of The Goon Show to create The Bed Sitting Room, a loosely-linked series of comedy sketches about a post-nuke London.
For whatever reason, the absurdist film - despite a stellar cast of comedy greats - has become lost to the ages while the cultural relevance of of Monty Python continues to loom large. Hopefully that may change as people discover the flick on Blu-ray.
The cast includes Dudley Moore (Arthur), Peter Cook (Bedazzled), Ralph Richardson (The Fallen Idol [Continued ...]...
For whatever reason, the absurdist film - despite a stellar cast of comedy greats - has become lost to the ages while the cultural relevance of of Monty Python continues to loom large. Hopefully that may change as people discover the flick on Blu-ray.
The cast includes Dudley Moore (Arthur), Peter Cook (Bedazzled), Ralph Richardson (The Fallen Idol [Continued ...]...
- 1/26/2016
- QuietEarth.us
To mark the release of The Fallen Idol on 16th November, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD. Painstakingly restored to its former glory, The Fallen Idol is the critically acclaimed first collaboration between Oscar-Winning director Carol Reed and writer and novelist Graham Greene who, following the success of the film, would
The post Win The Fallen Idol on DVD appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Win The Fallen Idol on DVD appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 11/23/2015
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"The music seemed extraordinarily fresh and genuine still. It might grow old-fashioned, he told himself, but never old, surely, while there was any youth left in men. It was an expression of youth–that, and no more; with sweetness and foolishness, the lingering accent, the heavy stresses–the delicacy, too–belonging to that time."—"The Professor's House," Willa CatherHis last words, in a hospital four months later, are said to have been 'Mind your own business!' addressed to an enquirer after the state of his bowels. Friends got to the studio just before the wreckers' ball. Pictures, a profusion, piles of them, littered the floor: of 'a world that will never be seen except in pictures'"—"The Pound Era," Hugh Kenner***Heart Of FIREOften when I go to a movie, usually one made before 1960, I think about the opening scene of The Red Shoes, of Marius Goring and his...
- 10/2/2015
- by gina telaroli
- MUBI
Vivien Leigh ca. late 1940s. Vivien Leigh movies: now controversial 'Gone with the Wind,' little-seen '21 Days Together' on TCM Vivien Leigh is Turner Classic Movies' star today, Aug. 18, '15, as TCM's “Summer Under the Stars” series continues. Mostly a stage actress, Leigh was seen in only 19 films – in about 15 of which as a leading lady or star – in a movie career spanning three decades. Good for the relatively few who saw her on stage; bad for all those who have access to only a few performances of one of the most remarkable acting talents of the 20th century. This evening, TCM is showing three Vivien Leigh movies: Gone with the Wind (1939), 21 Days Together (1940), and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Leigh won Best Actress Academy Awards for the first and the third title. The little-remembered film in-between is a TCM premiere. 'Gone with the Wind' Seemingly all...
- 8/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Director John Frankenheimer.
I'm often asked which, out of the over 600 interviews I've logged with Hollywood's finest, is my favorite. It's not a tough answer: John Frankenheimer.
We instantly clicked the day we met at his home in Benedict Canyon, and spent most of the afternoon talking in his den. A friendship of sorts developed over the years, with visits to his office for screenings of the old Kinescopes he directed for shows like "Playhouse 90" during his salad days in live television during the 1950s.
We hadn't spoken for nearly a year in mid-2002 when the phone rang. It was John, who spoke in what can only be described as a "stentorian bark," like a general. "Alex!" he exclaimed. "John Frankenheimer." He could sense something was amiss with me. It was. My screenwriting career had stalled. My marriage was progressing to divorce. I had hit bottom. John knew that...
I'm often asked which, out of the over 600 interviews I've logged with Hollywood's finest, is my favorite. It's not a tough answer: John Frankenheimer.
We instantly clicked the day we met at his home in Benedict Canyon, and spent most of the afternoon talking in his den. A friendship of sorts developed over the years, with visits to his office for screenings of the old Kinescopes he directed for shows like "Playhouse 90" during his salad days in live television during the 1950s.
We hadn't spoken for nearly a year in mid-2002 when the phone rang. It was John, who spoke in what can only be described as a "stentorian bark," like a general. "Alex!" he exclaimed. "John Frankenheimer." He could sense something was amiss with me. It was. My screenwriting career had stalled. My marriage was progressing to divorce. I had hit bottom. John knew that...
- 7/6/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody in 'Oliver!' movie. Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' actor nominated for an Oscar dead at 91 (Note: This Ron Moody article is currently being revised.) Two well-regarded, nonagenarian British performers have died in the last few days: 93-year-old Christopher Lee (June 7, '15), best known for his many portrayals of Dracula and assorted movie villains and weirdos, from the title role in The Mummy to Dr. Catheter in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. 91-year-old Ron Moody (yesterday, June 11), among whose infrequent film appearances was the role of Fagin, the grotesque adult leader of a gang of boy petty thieves, in the 1968 Best Picture Academy Award-winning musical Oliver!, which also earned him a Best Actor nomination. Having been featured in nearly 200 movies and, most importantly, having had his mainstream appeal resurrected by way of the villainous Saruman in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies (and various associated merchandising,...
- 6/12/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Kristen Stewart, 'Camp X-Ray' star, to join cast of 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' Kristen Stewart to join 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' movie After putting away her Bella Swan wig and red (formerly brown) contact lenses, Kristen Stewart has been making a number of interesting career choices. Here are three examples: Stewart was a U.S. soldier who befriends an inmate (Peyman Moaadi) at the American Gulag, Guantanamo, in Peter Sattler's little-seen (at least in theaters) Camp X-Ray. She was one of Best Actress Oscar winner Julianne Moore's daughters in Wash Westmoreland and the recently deceased Richard Glatzer's Alzheimer's drama Still Alice. She was the personal assistant to troubled, aging actress Juliette Binoche in Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria, which earned her a history-making Best Supporting Actress César. (Stewart became the first American actress to take home the French Academy Award.
- 4/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Sean Penn: Honorary César goes Hollywood – again (photo: Sean Penn in '21 Grams') Sean Penn, 54, will receive the 2015 Honorary César (César d'Honneur), the French Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Crafts has announced. That means the French Academy's powers-that-be are once again trying to make the Prix César ceremony relevant to the American media. Their tactic is to hand out the career award to a widely known and relatively young – i.e., media friendly – Hollywood celebrity. (Scroll down for more such examples.) In the words of the French Academy, Honorary César 2015 recipient Sean Penn is a "living legend" and "a stand-alone icon in American cinema." It has also hailed the two-time Best Actor Oscar winner as a "mythical actor, a politically active personality and an exceptional director." Penn will be honored at the César Awards ceremony on Feb. 20, 2015. Sean Penn movies Sean Penn movies range from the teen comedy...
- 1/28/2015
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Ivor Novello last film: 'Autumn Crocus' (photo: Ivor Novello and Fay Compton in 'Autumn Crocus') Can a plain looking, naive spinster school teacher ever find real love in faraway places? This was a question asked by Shirley Booth in Arthur Laurents' 1952 stage play The Time of the Cuckoo; Katharine Hepburn in the 1955 David Lean-directed film version, Summertime (1955); and Elizabeth Allen in the 1965 Richard Rodgers-Steven Sondheim musical adaptation, Do I Hear a Waltz? Can such a woman's yearning for romance ever be satisfied? "Yes" and "No," according to Basil Dean's fine 1934 British film Autumn Crocus, which marked the last film appearance of British stage and screen superstar Ivor Novello (Alfred Hitchcok's The Lodger). Autumn Crocus starts out during the holiday season, when two British schoolteachers decide to spend their vacation together on the Continent. Soft-hearted Jenny Grey (Fay Compton) longs to see the Austrian Alps,...
- 10/29/2014
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Best British movies of all time? (Image: a young Michael Caine in 'Get Carter') Ten years ago, Get Carter, starring Michael Caine as a dangerous-looking London gangster (see photo above), was selected as the United Kingdom's very best movie of all time according to 25 British film critics polled by Total Film magazine. To say that Mike Hodges' 1971 thriller was a surprising choice would be an understatement. I mean, not a David Lean epic or an early Alfred Hitchcock thriller? What a difference ten years make. On Total Film's 2014 list, published last May, Get Carter was no. 44 among the magazine's Top 50 best British movies of all time. How could that be? Well, first of all, people would be very naive if they took such lists seriously, whether we're talking Total Film, the British Film Institute, or, to keep things British, Sight & Sound magazine. Second, whereas Total Film's 2004 list was the result of a 25-critic consensus,...
- 10/12/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Books and films have been joined at the hip ever since the earliest days of cinema, and adaptations of novels have regularly provided audiences with the classier end of the film spectrum. Here, the Guardian and Observer's critics pick the 10 best
• Top 10 family movies
• Top 10 war movies
• Top 10 teen movies
• Top 10 superhero movies
• Top 10 westerns
• Top 10 documentaries
• More Guardian and Observer critics' top 10s
10. Planet of the Apes
Although the source novel, La Planète des Singes, was written by Frenchman Pierre Boule and originally reached its futureshock climax in Paris, this enduring sci-fi fantasy is profoundly American, putting Charlton Heston's steel-jawed patriotism to incredible use. It also holds up surprisingly well as a jarring allegory for the population's fears over escalating cold war tensions.
Beginning with a spaceship crash-landing on an unknown planet after years of cryogenic sleep, Franklin J Schaffner's film soon gets into gear as Heston's upstanding...
• Top 10 family movies
• Top 10 war movies
• Top 10 teen movies
• Top 10 superhero movies
• Top 10 westerns
• Top 10 documentaries
• More Guardian and Observer critics' top 10s
10. Planet of the Apes
Although the source novel, La Planète des Singes, was written by Frenchman Pierre Boule and originally reached its futureshock climax in Paris, this enduring sci-fi fantasy is profoundly American, putting Charlton Heston's steel-jawed patriotism to incredible use. It also holds up surprisingly well as a jarring allegory for the population's fears over escalating cold war tensions.
Beginning with a spaceship crash-landing on an unknown planet after years of cryogenic sleep, Franklin J Schaffner's film soon gets into gear as Heston's upstanding...
- 11/15/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
In his final column for the Observer, our film critic welcomes the re-release of two influential classics from the late 1950s
What goes around comes around. Or "This is where we came in!", the words we'd whisper back in the days of continuous movie performances, before heading for the exit when we reached the point at which we'd entered the cinema. Appropriately in the week I write my final film column, two classic movies, Bonjour Tristesse (1958) and Plein Soleil (aka Purple Noon, 1959), are re-released from that period at the end of the 1950s when I was embarking on a career as a professional writer. Both appear in beautiful new prints that do full justice to the Mediterranean sun which dictates their mood of dangerous eroticism, and both are closely associated with what was popularly known as the French Nouvelle Vague. In the first of them an English-speaking cast play French...
What goes around comes around. Or "This is where we came in!", the words we'd whisper back in the days of continuous movie performances, before heading for the exit when we reached the point at which we'd entered the cinema. Appropriately in the week I write my final film column, two classic movies, Bonjour Tristesse (1958) and Plein Soleil (aka Purple Noon, 1959), are re-released from that period at the end of the 1950s when I was embarking on a career as a professional writer. Both appear in beautiful new prints that do full justice to the Mediterranean sun which dictates their mood of dangerous eroticism, and both are closely associated with what was popularly known as the French Nouvelle Vague. In the first of them an English-speaking cast play French...
- 8/31/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
It was an all-girls club this week on American Idol, following last week’s elimination of last boy standing Lazaro Arbos. But on Thursday’s results show, the Fierce Five shrunk to a Fab Four. The fallen idol spoke to EW.
Janelle Arthur was sent home.
Arthur didn’t appear too dismayed about her elimination during the taping, and she was still all smiles when talking with press after the show.
“I thought they were going to use the save, just not on me,” Arthur said. She also shared what she told fellow contestant Candice Glover before they walked onstage...
Janelle Arthur was sent home.
Arthur didn’t appear too dismayed about her elimination during the taping, and she was still all smiles when talking with press after the show.
“I thought they were going to use the save, just not on me,” Arthur said. She also shared what she told fellow contestant Candice Glover before they walked onstage...
- 4/19/2013
- by Emily Rome
- EW - Inside TV
Luv is the Drug: Candis’ Debut an Ensemble to “Like”
When one thinks of representations of Baltimore in cinema, it’s easy to default to John Waters’ films in one’s mind. Not so with director Sheldon Candis’ sophomore feature, Luv, a Baltimore set coming-of-age tale that, for the most part, is quite compelling, though due to some glaring implausible moments, loses significant steam by the closing credits.
Newcomer Michael Rainey Jr. stars as Woody, a thirteen year old boy left by his mother to live with his grandmother. It’s obvious that Woody’s mom has been having some kind of difficulties (she’s actually at a drug rehabilitation center in North Carolina) and his hope lies with being reunited with her. His Uncle Vincent (Common) has just been released from prison (serving eight years of a 20 year sentence), and as the film opens, Vincent has decided to drive Woody to school,...
When one thinks of representations of Baltimore in cinema, it’s easy to default to John Waters’ films in one’s mind. Not so with director Sheldon Candis’ sophomore feature, Luv, a Baltimore set coming-of-age tale that, for the most part, is quite compelling, though due to some glaring implausible moments, loses significant steam by the closing credits.
Newcomer Michael Rainey Jr. stars as Woody, a thirteen year old boy left by his mother to live with his grandmother. It’s obvious that Woody’s mom has been having some kind of difficulties (she’s actually at a drug rehabilitation center in North Carolina) and his hope lies with being reunited with her. His Uncle Vincent (Common) has just been released from prison (serving eight years of a 20 year sentence), and as the film opens, Vincent has decided to drive Woody to school,...
- 1/18/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
For someone with the last name Barrymore, there's no better television home than Turner Classic Movies.
Legendary actors John, Lionel and Ethel often turn up on the channel in such ... well, classic movies as "Dinner at Eight" and "Grand Hotel." Their most famous descendant now has a place there, too: Drew Barrymore is TCM staple Robert Osborne's current co-host on the weekly Saturday series "The Essentials," commenting on the given evening's attraction before and after the film.
The teaming of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in the 1962 thriller "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" is the July 28 feature. The friendly Barrymore explains to Zap2it that watching movies "is what I like to do anyway in life, so to do it in a forum where I get to talk about films that I love -- with someone I admire -- on a channel that's literally on in my house 24/7, it was just like,...
Legendary actors John, Lionel and Ethel often turn up on the channel in such ... well, classic movies as "Dinner at Eight" and "Grand Hotel." Their most famous descendant now has a place there, too: Drew Barrymore is TCM staple Robert Osborne's current co-host on the weekly Saturday series "The Essentials," commenting on the given evening's attraction before and after the film.
The teaming of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in the 1962 thriller "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" is the July 28 feature. The friendly Barrymore explains to Zap2it that watching movies "is what I like to do anyway in life, so to do it in a forum where I get to talk about films that I love -- with someone I admire -- on a channel that's literally on in my house 24/7, it was just like,...
- 7/28/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
(Carol Reed, 1951, Studio Canal, PG)
Carol Reed was acclaimed as an important new talent when Graham Greene, as film critic of the Spectator, reviewed his second film as a director, Midshipman Easy, in 1935. After the second world war they found fame, collaborating on The Fallen Idol and The Third Man. Reed thought they might scale new heights with a film of Joseph Conrad's 1896 novel An Outcast of the Islands. But Greene, in thrall since childhood to Conrad, had been trying to escape the Polish writer's influence and rejected Reed's invitation. A pity, because it might have been a revealing masterpiece.
Instead, it's an ambitious, deeply flawed picture, filmed on unromantically observed south- east Asian locations with a powerful performance by Trevor Howard as the self-destructive Willems and Ralph Richardson (a key exponent of Greene) providing a highly stylised portrait of the godlike Captain Lingard. A crucial film in an important,...
Carol Reed was acclaimed as an important new talent when Graham Greene, as film critic of the Spectator, reviewed his second film as a director, Midshipman Easy, in 1935. After the second world war they found fame, collaborating on The Fallen Idol and The Third Man. Reed thought they might scale new heights with a film of Joseph Conrad's 1896 novel An Outcast of the Islands. But Greene, in thrall since childhood to Conrad, had been trying to escape the Polish writer's influence and rejected Reed's invitation. A pity, because it might have been a revealing masterpiece.
Instead, it's an ambitious, deeply flawed picture, filmed on unromantically observed south- east Asian locations with a powerful performance by Trevor Howard as the self-destructive Willems and Ralph Richardson (a key exponent of Greene) providing a highly stylised portrait of the godlike Captain Lingard. A crucial film in an important,...
- 5/19/2012
- 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
"What a pity that one ever has to come out of doors. Inside, with the curtains closed, it's possible to forget the present, turn your back to the future and face the past with hope and confidence."
The familiar post-war Berlin ruins—hollowed-out buildings like melting fudge dripping up into the sky. But what makes the shot is the tiny foreground pair, man and boy, setting off the desolation with a spark of humanity. Life goes on, but interrupted: for the man walks very slowly, a grandfather not a father. There's a whole missing generation in between.
A shot like this displays the artistry of Carol Reed in a film that's not quite able to contain it. The Man Between (1952) is all too self-consciously an attempt to re-bottle the lightning of Odd Man Out and The Third Man, the first of a series of attempts in this line: Our Man in Havana...
The familiar post-war Berlin ruins—hollowed-out buildings like melting fudge dripping up into the sky. But what makes the shot is the tiny foreground pair, man and boy, setting off the desolation with a spark of humanity. Life goes on, but interrupted: for the man walks very slowly, a grandfather not a father. There's a whole missing generation in between.
A shot like this displays the artistry of Carol Reed in a film that's not quite able to contain it. The Man Between (1952) is all too self-consciously an attempt to re-bottle the lightning of Odd Man Out and The Third Man, the first of a series of attempts in this line: Our Man in Havana...
- 8/25/2011
- MUBI
Ralph Richardson in Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol The Fallen Idol Review: Part I Things are cleared up before the end, after a number of plot contrivances — not the least of which is the mediocre depiction of a police investigation. Compounding matters, The Fallen Idol offers subpar acting (Bobby Henrey and Michèle Morgan phone in their performances), stereotyped characters (e.g., the cops and a Cockney prostitute), and some poor cinematography by Georges Périnal. Again, it's not that Périnal's images are themselves bad; it's just that they are inaptly applied to the situations in which the characters find themselves. For instance, angles are skewed in an attempt to add tension to banal scenes, an approach made worse by William Alwyn's melodramatic musical score, which stands in stark contrast to the restrained zither sounds of The Third Man. The scenes of Phillipe running about London in his pajamas...
- 3/21/2011
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
The Fallen Idol (1948) Direction: Carol Reed Cast: Ralph Richardson, Bobby Henrey, Michèle Morgan, Sonia Dresdel, Denis O'Dea, Jack Hawkins, Walter Fitzgerald Screenplay: Graham Greene, from his short story "The Basement Room"; additional dialogue by Lesley Storm and William Templeton Oscar Movies Michèle Morgan, Ralph Richardson, The Fallen Idol By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica: The 1948 drama The Fallen Idol is the third film I've seen by British filmmaker Carol Reed. I'd previously watched the dreadful Oscar-winning musical Oliver! (1968) and the stolid biopic The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), featuring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo. I've also seen The Third Man, the 1949 thriller attributed to Reed, though I've always hedged upon taking the stance that it was Reed's film alone and not an Orson Welles film merely bearded by Reed. Well, after watching The Fallen Idol, which directly preceded The Third Man, I can tell you that I have no doubts [...]...
- 3/21/2011
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
By Paul Sheehan
HollywoodNews.com: Among the seven prizes claimed by “The King’s Speech” at the 64th annual edition of the BAFTAs were Best Picture and Best British Picture. No film had managed to pull off that double play since the latter award was re-introduced in 1992.
The most recent British film to take the top award was “Slumdog Millionaire” two years ago. However, it lost the best of British race to the documentary “Man of Wire” which followed in the footsteps of Phillippe Petit’s 1974 walk between the two World Trade Center towers.
For two decades from its inception in 1947, BAFTA bestowed both Best Picture and Best British Picture. Home-grown fare was eligible to compete in the wide-open category as well and at least one British film a year contended. In 1948, the Best Picture winner was the British made “Hamlet” (which also took the top Oscar). However, it lost...
HollywoodNews.com: Among the seven prizes claimed by “The King’s Speech” at the 64th annual edition of the BAFTAs were Best Picture and Best British Picture. No film had managed to pull off that double play since the latter award was re-introduced in 1992.
The most recent British film to take the top award was “Slumdog Millionaire” two years ago. However, it lost the best of British race to the documentary “Man of Wire” which followed in the footsteps of Phillippe Petit’s 1974 walk between the two World Trade Center towers.
For two decades from its inception in 1947, BAFTA bestowed both Best Picture and Best British Picture. Home-grown fare was eligible to compete in the wide-open category as well and at least one British film a year contended. In 1948, the Best Picture winner was the British made “Hamlet” (which also took the top Oscar). However, it lost...
- 2/14/2011
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
Deadpan Comedy Sunday Brunches, Bristol
No one uses the word "pan" to describe a face any more but the term "deadpan", originally coined in the 1920s, prevails, as does the belief that comedy is funnier when it's delivered with a straight face. So what better way to digest after stuffing your pan in the cafe (the ticket gets you £1 off) than a masterclass in mirth? Roy Andersson's beautifully staged You, The Living – a sort of Scandinavian sketch show – is followed by two weekends given over to the late, great, hilariously straight Leslie Nielsen, with Airplane! and The Naked Gun, while the Coens' Fargo rounds off the month.
Watershed, Sun to 30 Jan
Amer & Italian Horror, London
Aficionados of the pulp Italian genre known as giallo will be nodding their heads in recognition at new French movie Amer – a striking, stylish new horror that borrows liberally from the likes of Dario Argento,...
No one uses the word "pan" to describe a face any more but the term "deadpan", originally coined in the 1920s, prevails, as does the belief that comedy is funnier when it's delivered with a straight face. So what better way to digest after stuffing your pan in the cafe (the ticket gets you £1 off) than a masterclass in mirth? Roy Andersson's beautifully staged You, The Living – a sort of Scandinavian sketch show – is followed by two weekends given over to the late, great, hilariously straight Leslie Nielsen, with Airplane! and The Naked Gun, while the Coens' Fargo rounds off the month.
Watershed, Sun to 30 Jan
Amer & Italian Horror, London
Aficionados of the pulp Italian genre known as giallo will be nodding their heads in recognition at new French movie Amer – a striking, stylish new horror that borrows liberally from the likes of Dario Argento,...
- 1/8/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
When you think Rockstar Games, you think "Grand Theft Auto." Or maybe "Red Dead Redemption." Games where strong stories and writing take a backseat to big explosions and gun battles. The company's next game, "La Noire" flips that concept on its head, emphasizing dialog, voice acting and story progression over everything else. It's slow-paced, thought-provoking and may just be too smart for its own good.
An Interactive La Confidential
If you saw the 1997 thriller, "La Confidential," or read the 1990 novel of the same name, you can consider yourself to be fully prepped for the world of "La Noire." Set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, "Noire" has you controlling the life of Cole Phelps, a patrolman in the Lapd who works his way through the ranks to become a homicide detective.
A hero in World War 2, the Lapd uses Phelps as a poster-child for the department, which is widely...
An Interactive La Confidential
If you saw the 1997 thriller, "La Confidential," or read the 1990 novel of the same name, you can consider yourself to be fully prepped for the world of "La Noire." Set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, "Noire" has you controlling the life of Cole Phelps, a patrolman in the Lapd who works his way through the ranks to become a homicide detective.
A hero in World War 2, the Lapd uses Phelps as a poster-child for the department, which is widely...
- 11/18/2010
- by Russ Frushtick
- MTV Multiplayer
It’s a poor thing, to command in love.
Have you ever been to a Renaissance Faire? I’ve been to a few over the years, though I’m far from being a regular attender. The last Ren Faire I visited was when I took my family to one here in Michigan sometime in the early 2000s when The Lord of The Rings was at the zenith of its pop-culture ascendancy and my kids were into stuff like swords and magic and capes and gowns.
I figure most readers would know what I’m talking about, but for those who don’t… Ren Faires are public events where people who are into that sort of thing are employed or pay admission to dress up in the garb of various types of medieval personae, spending a day, a weekend or longer getting into the roles and habits of Europeans who lived around 500 years ago or so.
Have you ever been to a Renaissance Faire? I’ve been to a few over the years, though I’m far from being a regular attender. The last Ren Faire I visited was when I took my family to one here in Michigan sometime in the early 2000s when The Lord of The Rings was at the zenith of its pop-culture ascendancy and my kids were into stuff like swords and magic and capes and gowns.
I figure most readers would know what I’m talking about, but for those who don’t… Ren Faires are public events where people who are into that sort of thing are employed or pay admission to dress up in the garb of various types of medieval personae, spending a day, a weekend or longer getting into the roles and habits of Europeans who lived around 500 years ago or so.
- 9/21/2010
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, writers of James Bond movies: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, have been hired by Parkes MacDonald / Imagenation to write an original action thriller.
According to THR, the movie will be based on a concept from Michael Lieber and Walter Parkes who will also, together with Laurie MacDonald produce the project.
The story takes place among the nomadic Taureg tribes of West Africa, an area rich with uranium that has become a focal point for both energy companies and terrorist states.
An American anthropologist is thrust Into this geopolitical mess when he must travel back to the Sahara to help a former research subject who has been accused of a terrorist attack.
“At its heart, this is an action movie set within a world that is morally complex, alluring and completely real – which is why Robert and Neal, whose work spans James Bond to John Le Carre,...
According to THR, the movie will be based on a concept from Michael Lieber and Walter Parkes who will also, together with Laurie MacDonald produce the project.
The story takes place among the nomadic Taureg tribes of West Africa, an area rich with uranium that has become a focal point for both energy companies and terrorist states.
An American anthropologist is thrust Into this geopolitical mess when he must travel back to the Sahara to help a former research subject who has been accused of a terrorist attack.
“At its heart, this is an action movie set within a world that is morally complex, alluring and completely real – which is why Robert and Neal, whose work spans James Bond to John Le Carre,...
- 8/19/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
The 1948 film The Fallen Idol set for a new remake? Yeah, it’s true! Thanks to producers Walter Parkes and Laurie McDonald we’ll soon have a chance to see the modern version of a classic film, originally directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, starring Ralph Richardson and Michele Morgan.
And this time, David Farr, a writer on BBC’s spy series “Mi-5” is attached as screenwriter.
The original film was about a butler working in the French embassy in London who falls under suspicion when his wife accidentally falls to her death, the only witness being an impressionable young boy.
But, at this moment we have information that Parkes is updating the story to present-day India and telling the story through the eyes of an 11-year-old American:
“The boy’s family will live in a large colonial mansion run by the English couple. That way, the world...
And this time, David Farr, a writer on BBC’s spy series “Mi-5” is attached as screenwriter.
The original film was about a butler working in the French embassy in London who falls under suspicion when his wife accidentally falls to her death, the only witness being an impressionable young boy.
But, at this moment we have information that Parkes is updating the story to present-day India and telling the story through the eyes of an 11-year-old American:
“The boy’s family will live in a large colonial mansion run by the English couple. That way, the world...
- 6/3/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
One of the filmmakers that I have on a “no touch” list when it comes to remakes, happens to be getting that very treatment.
According to Deadline (via /Film), Men In Black 3 producer Walter Parkes is working on a new remake of The Fallen Idol, the first pairing of filmmaker Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene. The film was followed up by their brilliant film, The Third Man, and follows a young man who accidently witnesses the death of his family’s butler’s wife, and automatically considers it a murder.
Fallen Idol is a 1948 film, and based off of a short story entitled The Basement Room, written by Greene himself, and will see a modern take thanks to Parkes and David Farr, the writer behind Joe Wright’s upcoming film, Hanna.
The film will be updated to present day India, and showing the happenings through the eyes of an 11 year old American boy.
According to Deadline (via /Film), Men In Black 3 producer Walter Parkes is working on a new remake of The Fallen Idol, the first pairing of filmmaker Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene. The film was followed up by their brilliant film, The Third Man, and follows a young man who accidently witnesses the death of his family’s butler’s wife, and automatically considers it a murder.
Fallen Idol is a 1948 film, and based off of a short story entitled The Basement Room, written by Greene himself, and will see a modern take thanks to Parkes and David Farr, the writer behind Joe Wright’s upcoming film, Hanna.
The film will be updated to present day India, and showing the happenings through the eyes of an 11 year old American boy.
- 5/29/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
This is one remake that I never thought I would see.
According Deadline, Walter Parkes, producer on the upcoming Men In Black III, is set to get into the remake business (again, after this year’s Dinner For Schmucks), as he will be remaking the 1948 Carol Reed film, The Fallen Idol.
Read more on Men In Black III producer remaking Carol Reed’s Fallen Idol…...
According Deadline, Walter Parkes, producer on the upcoming Men In Black III, is set to get into the remake business (again, after this year’s Dinner For Schmucks), as he will be remaking the 1948 Carol Reed film, The Fallen Idol.
Read more on Men In Black III producer remaking Carol Reed’s Fallen Idol…...
- 5/28/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
This is one of the more unlikely pieces of remake news we've had in a while. Men in Black 3 producer Walter Parkes is working with screenwriter David Farr (Joe Wright's upcoming Hanna) to remake The Fallen Idol, originally filmed in 1948 by Carol Reed, just before he made The Third Man. Deadline says that Parkes and partner Laurie MacDonald are developing the project with Studio Canal, which owns the rights. Why is this an unlikely remake? Because Graham Greene's script (from his own short story 'The Basement Room') and the film that resulted are each a tense, understated study of a kind of perceptual awakening. The main character, through whose eyes we see events in the film, is a young boy who idolizes his family butler. When the butler's wife is accidentally killed, the boy tries to protect his friend and ends up getting him arrested for murder. The...
- 5/27/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.