Gisèle Galante recalls a recent evening in which she and her husband first watched Dodge City, the 1939 Michael Curtiz-directed western starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. As de Havilland’s daughter, born 17 years after that film’s premiere, Galante was struck equally by her mother’s beauty and her performance: “I had never seen it before, but she was so, so pretty,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And even though it wasn’t what you would call a meaty role, she was excellent. There’s still so much for me to discover, more of my mother’s films that I have not seen.”
For many classic-film fans, de Havilland’s death in July 2020 at the age of 104 signified the end of an era, the passing of perhaps the last great star of Hollywood’s golden years. Galante notes that she’s had those fans in mind while planning...
For many classic-film fans, de Havilland’s death in July 2020 at the age of 104 signified the end of an era, the passing of perhaps the last great star of Hollywood’s golden years. Galante notes that she’s had those fans in mind while planning...
- 5/11/2023
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Motion Picture & Television Fund, celebrating its 100th anniversary, might be the most active, admired — and most misunderstood — organization in Hollywood. Silent screen star Mary Pickford started the philanthropic org under the name Motion Picture Relief Fund (it was renamed in 1971).
Over the century, entertainment’s biggest heavyweights gave support. In 1965, Variety reported Elvis Presley’s 125,000 gift, the single biggest donation to that point. The fund has been supported by directors, actors and execs (Samuel Goldwyn to Jim Gianopulos). Key donors and recipients are behind-the-camera workers; for example, nearly 10,000 individuals received help in 2020 as everyone was hit by Covid.
“Part of my hope for the future: Communicating to the industry who we are and what we do,” says Bob Beitcher, MPTF president-ceo. “Probably seven out of 10 people in the industry don’t know who we are. I hope we can get the word out, to provide services for people...
Over the century, entertainment’s biggest heavyweights gave support. In 1965, Variety reported Elvis Presley’s 125,000 gift, the single biggest donation to that point. The fund has been supported by directors, actors and execs (Samuel Goldwyn to Jim Gianopulos). Key donors and recipients are behind-the-camera workers; for example, nearly 10,000 individuals received help in 2020 as everyone was hit by Covid.
“Part of my hope for the future: Communicating to the industry who we are and what we do,” says Bob Beitcher, MPTF president-ceo. “Probably seven out of 10 people in the industry don’t know who we are. I hope we can get the word out, to provide services for people...
- 6/17/2022
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Balancing family and work is a challenge regardless of the industry, but the Hollywood grind often demands long hours, and that can make finding childcare feel impossible. That’s exactly the problem Peggy and Samuel Goldwyn Jr. set out to fix when they opened an entertainment-focused daycare in 1991 and donated it to the Mptf.
The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center now cares for more than a hundred children of industry employees and — despite largely flying under the radar — like any quality Hollywood business, there’s a waitlist. The colorful West L.A. center is operated by ...
The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center now cares for more than a hundred children of industry employees and — despite largely flying under the radar — like any quality Hollywood business, there’s a waitlist. The colorful West L.A. center is operated by ...
- 7/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Balancing family and work is a challenge regardless of the industry, but the Hollywood grind often demands long hours, and that can make finding childcare feel impossible. That’s exactly the problem Peggy and Samuel Goldwyn Jr. set out to fix when they opened an entertainment-focused daycare in 1991 and donated it to the Mptf.
The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center now cares for more than a hundred children of industry employees and — despite largely flying under the radar — like any quality Hollywood business, there’s a waitlist. The colorful West L.A. center is operated by ...
The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center now cares for more than a hundred children of industry employees and — despite largely flying under the radar — like any quality Hollywood business, there’s a waitlist. The colorful West L.A. center is operated by ...
- 7/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn is opening up about how watching his parents' marriage inspired him to become a feminist.
In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather).
"The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather).
"The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
- 1/26/2016
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- People.com - TV Watch
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn is opening up about how watching his parents' marriage inspired him to become a feminist. In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather). "The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
- 1/26/2016
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- PEOPLE.com
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn is opening up about how watching his parents' marriage inspired him to become a feminist. In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather). "The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
- 1/26/2016
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- PEOPLE.com
This week, the comedy series Angie Tribeca premiered on TBS. And while the show is the brainchild of a comedy power couple, Steve Carell and Nancy Walls Carell, star Rashida Jones is herself the daughter of two famous people: music producer Quincy Jones and Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton. (They shot a scene together!)
In the past decade, Rashida Jones has made a name for herself in comedy, having acted in The Office and Parks and Recreation as well as films such as I Love You, Man and Celeste and Jesse Forever to the point that she gets a pass...
In the past decade, Rashida Jones has made a name for herself in comedy, having acted in The Office and Parks and Recreation as well as films such as I Love You, Man and Celeste and Jesse Forever to the point that she gets a pass...
- 1/24/2016
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- People.com - TV Watch
This week, the comedy series Angie Tribeca premiered on TBS. And while the show is the brainchild of a comedy power couple, Steve Carell and Nancy Walls Carell, star Rashida Jones is herself the daughter of two famous people: music producer Quincy Jones and Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton. (They shot a scene together!) In the past decade, Rashida Jones has made a name for herself in comedy, having acted in The Office and Parks and Recreation as well as films such as I Love You, Man and Celeste and Jesse Forever to the point that she gets a pass...
- 1/24/2016
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
This week, the comedy series Angie Tribeca premiered on TBS. And while the show is the brainchild of a comedy power couple, Steve Carell and Nancy Walls Carell, star Rashida Jones is herself the daughter of two famous people: music producer Quincy Jones and Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton. (They shot a scene together!) In the past decade, Rashida Jones has made a name for herself in comedy, having acted in The Office and Parks and Recreation as well as films such as I Love You, Man and Celeste and Jesse Forever to the point that she gets a pass...
- 1/24/2016
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
First-time director Richard Wilson's B&W '50s western is different. Robert Mitchum is on-task as a town tamer with believable problems, both in exterminating gunslingers Claude Akins and Leo Gordon, and with making peace with his estranged wife, Jan Sterling. That's not to mention Mitchum's attraction for pacifist Karen Sharpe, and ditzy showgirl Barbara Lawrence. And don't forget an incredibly young Angie Dickinson. Man with the Gun Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1955 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 83 min. / Deadly Peacemaker / Street Date September 25, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Robert Mitchum, Jan Sterling, Karen Sharpe, Henry Hull, Emile Meyer, John Lupton, Barbara Lawrence, Ted de Corsia, Leo Gordon, James Westerfield, Jay Adler, Claude Akins, Joe Barry, Norma Calderón, Angie Dickinson, Mara McAfee, Maidie Norman, Robert Osterloh, Maudie Prickett, Stafford Repp. Cinematography Lee Garmes Film Editor Gene Milford Original Music Alex North Written by N.B. Stone Jr., Richard Wilson Produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr....
- 9/22/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
She helped found Action for Children’s Television, which paved the way for kids to get fewer harmful commercials and more educational programming
Peggy Charren, a children’s advocate and pioneer in kids’ programming, has died. She was 86.
Charren had suffered from vascular dementia in later years, according to media reports. At the time of her death she was living in a Dedham, Massachusetts retirement community with her husband Stanley, who is a retired businessman and engineer.
See Photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015
One of her most notable achievements was co-founding Action for Children’s Television in 1968, a grass...
Peggy Charren, a children’s advocate and pioneer in kids’ programming, has died. She was 86.
Charren had suffered from vascular dementia in later years, according to media reports. At the time of her death she was living in a Dedham, Massachusetts retirement community with her husband Stanley, who is a retired businessman and engineer.
See Photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015
One of her most notable achievements was co-founding Action for Children’s Television in 1968, a grass...
- 1/22/2015
- by Travis Reilly
- The Wrap
We remember four remarkable men we've lost this past week. Cinematographer Takao Saito worked for nearly half a century with Akira Kurosawa and won a Japanese Academy Award. Film historian and critic Gilberto Perez wrote a landmark book in 1998, The Material Ghost: Films and their Medium. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. "helped create a business model—low production costs, guerrilla marketing—that allowed art-house movies to grow into a powerful cultural and economic force" (New York Times). And "fame-ish" Taylor Negron will be remembered for more than his roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Better Off Dead and Punchline—he was also an engaging and funny writer. » - David Hudson...
- 1/17/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
We remember four remarkable men we've lost this past week. Cinematographer Takao Saito worked for nearly half a century with Akira Kurosawa and won a Japanese Academy Award. Film historian and critic Gilberto Perez wrote a landmark book in 1998, The Material Ghost: Films and their Medium. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. "helped create a business model—low production costs, guerrilla marketing—that allowed art-house movies to grow into a powerful cultural and economic force" (New York Times). And "fame-ish" Taylor Negron will be remembered for more than his roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Better Off Dead and Punchline—he was also an engaging and funny writer. » - David Hudson...
- 1/17/2015
- Keyframe
Taylor Negron, an actor who appeared on “Seinfeld” as a hairdresser in 1993’s “Smelly Car” episode, died on Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 57.
His cousin, Three Dog Night member Chuck Negron, took to YouTube on Saturday to tell his fans that Negron passed away over the weekend while surrounded by family.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
“May he rest in peace,” Chuck said. “I just wanted all you people who knew him and loved him to know that he just passed.”
Negron, a Glendale, California-raised performer who studied acting at UCLA, began his acting...
His cousin, Three Dog Night member Chuck Negron, took to YouTube on Saturday to tell his fans that Negron passed away over the weekend while surrounded by family.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
“May he rest in peace,” Chuck said. “I just wanted all you people who knew him and loved him to know that he just passed.”
Negron, a Glendale, California-raised performer who studied acting at UCLA, began his acting...
- 1/12/2015
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
His dad was one of Hollywood’s founding fathers. If there is something that Samuel Goldwyn Jr should be remembered for following his death on Friday night, it’s this, according to Tom Rothman: “For the 20 or so years before Disney put money in Miramax or we started Fox Searchlight with NewsCorp money and other studios got in the game, the independent film business really began with Sam in the late 70s.” Rothman, a lawyer in New York who repped Jim Jarmusch when he made the deal with Goldwyn Jr for Stranger Than Paradise, was hired by Goldwyn Jr to become president of The Goldwyn Company before moving on to Fox where he became the first president of Fox Searchlight.
“People forget what a seminal figure Sam was, and how many filmmakers broke through because of him,” Rothman said. “There was Kenneth Branagh, Anthony Minghella, Ang Lee, David Lynch and John Sayles.
“People forget what a seminal figure Sam was, and how many filmmakers broke through because of him,” Rothman said. “There was Kenneth Branagh, Anthony Minghella, Ang Lee, David Lynch and John Sayles.
- 1/10/2015
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Samuel Goldwyn Jr. -- a Hollywood icon and father of "Scandal" star Tony Goldwyn -- has died, according to The New York Times.
He was 88.
Samuel comes from a storied lineage in the entertainment industry. He was the son of Samuel Goldwyn, who represents the "G" in MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
Photos: Stars We Lost In 2015
Samuel's son, John, told the Nyt that his dad died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Samuel most recently produced a remake of his father's hit film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," starring and ...
Copyright 2015 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
He was 88.
Samuel comes from a storied lineage in the entertainment industry. He was the son of Samuel Goldwyn, who represents the "G" in MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
Photos: Stars We Lost In 2015
Samuel's son, John, told the Nyt that his dad died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Samuel most recently produced a remake of his father's hit film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," starring and ...
Copyright 2015 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
- 1/10/2015
- by access.hollywood@nbcuni.com (AccessHollywood.com Editorial Staff)
- Access Hollywood
Producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 88. Goldwyn Jr. was an Emmy-award-winning director and Oscar-nominated producer. He most recently worked on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, which was released in 2013. Goldwyn Jr. comes from a family that helped create Hollywood. His father, Samuel Goldwyn Sr., was a founder of Paramount Studios, and his production company was acquired by Metro Pictures Corp. to become part of one of Hollywood's largest studios, MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). He grew up in Hollywood and attended his first Academy Awards when he was 11 years old,...
- 1/10/2015
- by Elaine Aradillas
- PEOPLE.com
Samuel Goldwyn Jr., son of Hollywood founding father Samuel Goldwyn Sr., passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Friday, according a report published by Variety. Goldwyn Jr. was 88 years-old. Born in 1926, Goldwyn Jr. was born out of Goldwyn Sr.'s second marriage, which was to the actress Frances Howard. Similar to his father, Goldwyn Jr. spent his entire career producing and distributing films independent of the major studios; first through The Samuel Goldwyn Company, an entity that was founded during the '70s and lasted well into the '90s, bringing films such as David Lynch's "Wild at Heart," Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger than Paradise" and the beloved "Mystic Pizza" to audiences around the country that were specifically hungry for indie film fare. Following a failed merger, Goldwyn Jr. relaunched The Samuel Goldwyn Company during the early 2000s as Samuel Goldwyn Films. Although the current Goldwyn distribution entity does not release groundbreaking.
- 1/10/2015
- by Shipra Gupta
- Indiewire
Producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles. He was 88.
Born Sept. 7, 1926, Goldwyn was the son of actress Frances Howard and the Hollywood Golden Age movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn, a founder of Paramount Pictures. Goldwyn Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps and founded the independent film companies The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Also Read: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
Goldwyn was known for fostering young moviemaking talent, including Ang Lee (“The Wedding Banquet”), Anthony Minghella (“Truly Madly Deeply”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Henry V”), and is even...
Born Sept. 7, 1926, Goldwyn was the son of actress Frances Howard and the Hollywood Golden Age movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn, a founder of Paramount Pictures. Goldwyn Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps and founded the independent film companies The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Also Read: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
Goldwyn was known for fostering young moviemaking talent, including Ang Lee (“The Wedding Banquet”), Anthony Minghella (“Truly Madly Deeply”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Henry V”), and is even...
- 1/10/2015
- by Deborah Day
- The Wrap
Ted Hope partnered with James Schamus and David Linde in Good Machine, the prolific director-centric indie company behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Y Tu Mama Tambien, In The Bedroom, Brokeback Mountain, Happiness, The Ice Storm and The Brothers McMullen. In this excerpt from his new book Hope For Film (Soft Skull Press), Hope writes about that seminal moment when the indie business changed and larger companies looked to swallow the prestige film factories. The principals all went in exceptional directions after Good Machine was swallowed by Universal Pictures back in 2000: Schamus ran Focus Features with Linde before the latter became Universal Pictures co-chairman; Hope formed This Is That with future taste making producers Anne Carey and Anthony Bregman. Here, Hope, who is currently CEO of film streaming platform Fandor, describes the feeding frenzy for Good Machine, and how the principals tried to better capitalize a company while navigating the collision between indies and studios.
- 9/6/2014
- by Ted Hope
- Deadline
This story first appeared in the Jan. 3, 2014, issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. In the spring of 2003, then-Paramount vice chairman John Goldwyn sat down at the Hotel Bel-Air with his boss, Sherry Lansing, Jim Carrey and Steven Spielberg to discuss Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Spielberg was interested in directing Carrey in the film, but the conversation took a turn when Carrey brought up The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a remake of the 1947 movie that John Goldwyn's grandfather, Samuel Goldwyn, had produced. Samuel Goldwyn Jr., John's father, recently had wrested the
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- 12/25/2013
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Watch a new clip from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Patton Oswalt, Adrian Martinez, Kai Lennox, Nicole Neuman, Paul Fitzgerald, Gary Wilmes. Stiller also directs the film scripted by Steve Conrad which is based on the James Thurber short story. 20th Century Fox releases the film into theaters on December 25th, 2013. Pic is produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., John Goldwyn, Stuart Cornfeld and Stiller.
- 12/5/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Producer Sam Goldwyn thought Anthony Kimmins's tale of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion was about a lovable Scots terrier. Frankly, it might as well have been
• Reel history: Frost/Nixon
• Reel history: Lovelace
Director: Anthony Kimmins
Entertainment grade: D–
History grade: C
In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie, grandson and heir of the deposed King James II of England and VII of Scotland, arrived in Scotland to attempt to reclaim the throne.
Production
"Bonnie Prince Charlie was one of those huge florid extravaganzas that reek of disaster from the start," star David Niven admitted. Halfway through the nine-month shoot, Niven cabled producer Sam Goldwyn: "I have now worked every day for five months on this picture and nobody can tell me how the story ends stop advise." Goldwyn couldn't help: according to Niven's biographer, Sheridan Morley, he thought the movie was called "Charlie Bonnie", and was "apparently under the mistaken impression that...
• Reel history: Frost/Nixon
• Reel history: Lovelace
Director: Anthony Kimmins
Entertainment grade: D–
History grade: C
In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie, grandson and heir of the deposed King James II of England and VII of Scotland, arrived in Scotland to attempt to reclaim the throne.
Production
"Bonnie Prince Charlie was one of those huge florid extravaganzas that reek of disaster from the start," star David Niven admitted. Halfway through the nine-month shoot, Niven cabled producer Sam Goldwyn: "I have now worked every day for five months on this picture and nobody can tell me how the story ends stop advise." Goldwyn couldn't help: according to Niven's biographer, Sheridan Morley, he thought the movie was called "Charlie Bonnie", and was "apparently under the mistaken impression that...
- 9/12/2013
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Check out movie poster 5 for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller. The film which is also helmed by Sitller, opens on December 25th, 2013, with support from Kristin Wiig, Kathryn Hahn Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine and Patton Oswalt. Walter Mitty follows an office worker who lives inside fantasy worlds where he leads an adventurous life, romancing his co-worker. When both their jobs are threatened, Walter Mitty sets off on a global journey to fix things. Steve Conrad wrote the script based on James Thurber's short story. Samuel Goldwyn Jr., John Goldwyn, Stuart Cornfeld and Stiller produce.
- 9/6/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hollywood has always played fast and loose with books – risking the author's wrath by changing plot and characters wholesale. Joe Dunthorne looks back on some memorable film cheats
At book readings, Stephen King sometimes tells a story about his "only preproduction discussion" for the 1980 film adaptation of The Shining. At seven in the morning, King was shaving in the bathroom when his wife ran in to tell him there was a call from London, it was Stanley Kubrick. Just the mention of the director's name was shock enough that when King went to the phone, he had a line of blood running down one cheek and the other was still white with foam. The first thing Kubrick said – and it's worth noting that King's growly impersonation makes him sound like a swamp creature – was: "I think stories of the supernatural are fundamentally optimistic, don't you? If there are ghosts then that means we survive death.
At book readings, Stephen King sometimes tells a story about his "only preproduction discussion" for the 1980 film adaptation of The Shining. At seven in the morning, King was shaving in the bathroom when his wife ran in to tell him there was a call from London, it was Stanley Kubrick. Just the mention of the director's name was shock enough that when King went to the phone, he had a line of blood running down one cheek and the other was still white with foam. The first thing Kubrick said – and it's worth noting that King's growly impersonation makes him sound like a swamp creature – was: "I think stories of the supernatural are fundamentally optimistic, don't you? If there are ghosts then that means we survive death.
- 4/6/2013
- by Joe Dunthorne
- The Guardian - Film News
Irish industry bash sees Lincoln director make an appearance, Farrell receive an honour and Warren Beatty slip in amid the hubbub
It's the week when Hollywood toasts the stars and acclaims their incandescence but a pre-Oscars party under cold moonlight can also reveal the melancholy when the glow threatens to fade. Hundreds of writers, actors, producers, technicians and directors gathered at Jj Abrams' studio on Thursday night for one of multiple film industry shindigs on the eve of Sunday's ceremony, to celebrate success and, in some cases, rue the shadows.
Abrams, soon to unveil one blockbuster before plunging into another franchise, radiated energy. "Star Wars? The opportunities for characters and plots are endless but I can't really talk about it yet," he said, posing for a phalanx of cameras. "Really the focus for now is Star Trek."
Star Trek into Darkness opens in May, after which the director-producer will...
It's the week when Hollywood toasts the stars and acclaims their incandescence but a pre-Oscars party under cold moonlight can also reveal the melancholy when the glow threatens to fade. Hundreds of writers, actors, producers, technicians and directors gathered at Jj Abrams' studio on Thursday night for one of multiple film industry shindigs on the eve of Sunday's ceremony, to celebrate success and, in some cases, rue the shadows.
Abrams, soon to unveil one blockbuster before plunging into another franchise, radiated energy. "Star Wars? The opportunities for characters and plots are endless but I can't really talk about it yet," he said, posing for a phalanx of cameras. "Really the focus for now is Star Trek."
Star Trek into Darkness opens in May, after which the director-producer will...
- 2/22/2013
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
"If you want to send a message," legendary Hollywood mogul Sam Goldwyn once sagely noted, "call Western Union." Not that vintage Hollywood movies didn't have all kinds of social agendas, whether they were about fighting racism ("The Defiant Ones") or mob justice ("The Ox-Bow Incident") or anti-Semitism ("Gentlemen's Agreement") or war ("All Quiet on the Western Front"). The trick has always been to disguise the heartworm pill of your message with the tasty bologna of drama or satire or whatever else people actually want to see. (John Waters devilishly parodied racial-understanding...
- 12/28/2012
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The versatile Ang Lee brings Yann Martel's tale of shipwreck and spirituality to the big screen in magnificent fashion
The Taiwan-born Ang Lee rapidly established himself in the 1990s as one of the world's most versatile film-makers, moving on from the trilogy of movies about Chinese families that made his name to Jane Austen's England (Sense and Sensibility) and Richard Nixon's America (The Ice Storm). If he revisits a place or genre it's to tell a very different story – a martial arts movie in medieval China (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is followed by a spy thriller in wartime Shanghai (Lust, Caution), and a western with a Us civil war background (Ride With the Devil) is succeeded by a western about a gay relationship in present-day Wyoming (Brokeback Mountain).
He adopts different styles to fit his new subjects, and while there are certain recurrent themes, among them the...
The Taiwan-born Ang Lee rapidly established himself in the 1990s as one of the world's most versatile film-makers, moving on from the trilogy of movies about Chinese families that made his name to Jane Austen's England (Sense and Sensibility) and Richard Nixon's America (The Ice Storm). If he revisits a place or genre it's to tell a very different story – a martial arts movie in medieval China (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is followed by a spy thriller in wartime Shanghai (Lust, Caution), and a western with a Us civil war background (Ride With the Devil) is succeeded by a western about a gay relationship in present-day Wyoming (Brokeback Mountain).
He adopts different styles to fit his new subjects, and while there are certain recurrent themes, among them the...
- 12/23/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
The 57th annual Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards, recognizing excellence in dramatic writing, were announced Friday by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., president of the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation. The first place winner is Alaric Alexander Smeets (UCLA ) for the screenplay "Life on Mars," George Larkin (Uc Berkeley) in second place for the play "The Bastard Son of William Shakespeare," and Stephen Wolf (UCLA) in third place for the TV pilot "Emperor Watson." The first honorable mention went to Kathleen Coggshall (Uc San Francisco) for "Seventeen," and the second honorable mention went to Marissa Matteo (UCLA) for "Lions and Men." The...
- 11/10/2012
- by Liza Foreman
- The Wrap
Are you ready to go back to Titanic? The answer, at least for James Cameron, is… not any more.
The director, who successfully managed to put his personal passion for deep-sea diving on the screen to the tune of a $2 billion profit, has decided to call it a day, both in the studio and the water.
Having produced a 3D version of the film, which apparently realises “the potential of the negative” in a way the original did not – this sounds technical – he pronounces, “It’s as much out of my system as it’s going to get.”
Jack and Rose have a sweet but doomed romance in Cameron's epic record-breakerTitanic
Meanwhile, in the water himself, he’s also decided that 33 dives to the wreck of the Titanic are sufficient. A few people would have made this call a bit earlier but, anyway, it’s done.
“I’ve been enough.
The director, who successfully managed to put his personal passion for deep-sea diving on the screen to the tune of a $2 billion profit, has decided to call it a day, both in the studio and the water.
Having produced a 3D version of the film, which apparently realises “the potential of the negative” in a way the original did not – this sounds technical – he pronounces, “It’s as much out of my system as it’s going to get.”
Jack and Rose have a sweet but doomed romance in Cameron's epic record-breakerTitanic
Meanwhile, in the water himself, he’s also decided that 33 dives to the wreck of the Titanic are sufficient. A few people would have made this call a bit earlier but, anyway, it’s done.
“I’ve been enough.
- 9/17/2012
- by Caroline Frost
- Huffington Post
British film Gregory's Girl is a success Stateside, now the strong Scottish accents have been re-recorded for a Us audience
Under the illuminating headline "N.Y. 'Whorehouse' Busy 950G; 'Garp' Socko 380G; 'Challenge' 510G; 'E.T.' Hot $1.5-Mil, 7th," the American entertainment journal Variety this week notes that "...Samuel Goldwyn's 'Gregory's Girl' is solid with $17,000 in its ninth romp at Lincoln Plaza 3."
Mind you, it takes two to make a transatlantic communications problem. Larry Jackson, the Los Angeles film man who bought Bill Forsyth's Gregory's Girl for distribution by the Samuel Goldwyn company, saw the picture four times, with the advantage of a script to guide him through the rich Scottish dialogue.
He still didn't understand it, though happily he enjoyed it immensely, and wasn't put off buying it by the memory of the other regional British classic, Ken Loach's Kes, which was withdrawn...
Under the illuminating headline "N.Y. 'Whorehouse' Busy 950G; 'Garp' Socko 380G; 'Challenge' 510G; 'E.T.' Hot $1.5-Mil, 7th," the American entertainment journal Variety this week notes that "...Samuel Goldwyn's 'Gregory's Girl' is solid with $17,000 in its ninth romp at Lincoln Plaza 3."
Mind you, it takes two to make a transatlantic communications problem. Larry Jackson, the Los Angeles film man who bought Bill Forsyth's Gregory's Girl for distribution by the Samuel Goldwyn company, saw the picture four times, with the advantage of a script to guide him through the rich Scottish dialogue.
He still didn't understand it, though happily he enjoyed it immensely, and wasn't put off buying it by the memory of the other regional British classic, Ken Loach's Kes, which was withdrawn...
- 8/7/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Hollywood actor best known for the Hardy family films and her role as Careen, Scarlett O'Hara's sister, in Gone With the Wind
Ann Rutherford, who has died aged 94, was adept at portraying pluck and persistence. As Polly Benedict, Andy Hardy's ever-faithful girlfriend, in 13 of the 15 Hardy family film series made between 1937 and 1946, she had to wait around for Mickey Rooney's accident-prone adolescent to return to her after some dalliance with another girl. Andy would seek advice on romance from his stern but wise and fair father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone). "Dad, can I talk to you man to man? Can a guy be in love with two girls at once?" Inevitably, Andy would realise, with hints from his dad, that Polly was his own true love.
The Hardy series, one of the most popular in screen history, was the archetypal idealisation of small-town America and apple-pie family values, with...
Ann Rutherford, who has died aged 94, was adept at portraying pluck and persistence. As Polly Benedict, Andy Hardy's ever-faithful girlfriend, in 13 of the 15 Hardy family film series made between 1937 and 1946, she had to wait around for Mickey Rooney's accident-prone adolescent to return to her after some dalliance with another girl. Andy would seek advice on romance from his stern but wise and fair father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone). "Dad, can I talk to you man to man? Can a guy be in love with two girls at once?" Inevitably, Andy would realise, with hints from his dad, that Polly was his own true love.
The Hardy series, one of the most popular in screen history, was the archetypal idealisation of small-town America and apple-pie family values, with...
- 6/12/2012
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
From Christopher Isherwood's 'limbo of mirror-images' to 'the projected film's best-kept secret'
We don't have to think about what we like, but thinking can be part of our pleasure, rather than opposed to it. When I was asked to write Film: A Very Short Introduction – the book became the 300th in a series that covers topics from advertising to witchcraft, anaesthesia to the World Trade Organisation – I jumped at the possibility, because I took it as a chance to think fast and hard about a much-loved topic. Not everybody thought this was a good idea. One of the publisher's readers said the project was distinctly amateurish, and the other said it was impossible. These responses were not unkindly meant, and I found them helpful. I realised I wanted the book to be the work of an amateur – a lover of film – though not amateurish in the sense of inept.
We don't have to think about what we like, but thinking can be part of our pleasure, rather than opposed to it. When I was asked to write Film: A Very Short Introduction – the book became the 300th in a series that covers topics from advertising to witchcraft, anaesthesia to the World Trade Organisation – I jumped at the possibility, because I took it as a chance to think fast and hard about a much-loved topic. Not everybody thought this was a good idea. One of the publisher's readers said the project was distinctly amateurish, and the other said it was impossible. These responses were not unkindly meant, and I found them helpful. I realised I wanted the book to be the work of an amateur – a lover of film – though not amateurish in the sense of inept.
- 5/18/2012
- by Michael Wood
- The Guardian - Film News
When Mike Lang was CEO of Miramax Films, he came to Cannes last year with big plans to move into production, and tap the library for remakes. It was an ambitious plan. Now, Lang surprisingly resigned and it’s not exactly clear what Miramax is going to be. We do know its core business is earning cash from managing the library built up by Bob and Harvey Weinstein that came in the Disney sale for over half a billion dollars. Now, Miramax has taken on the library of films that include Guys and Dolls, Wuthering Heights, The Best Years Of Our Lives and The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. Here’s the announcement: Santa Monica, CA, April 2, 2012 – Miramax and the Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Family Trust today announced that Miramax’s Global Sales team will manage global licensing of the library produced by the legendary Samuel \ Goldwyn. Terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
- 4/2/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Adam Scott has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox's long-awaited update of the 1947 classic film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."According to Deadline.com, Ben Stiller is directing and starring in the film.Shirley MacLaine, Kristen Wiig and Patton Oswalt have also been cast.The project has gone through several directors such as Gore Verbinski, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Chuck Russell.Mike Myers and Jim Carrey had been attached at various points as the star.Steve Conrad ("The Pursuit of Happyness") wrote the script.Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld are producing through their Red Hour Entertainment along with Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and John Goldwyn.Production is set to begin in April."Walter Mitty" is based on James Thurber's 1939 short story about a day-dreaming book editor...
- 2/14/2012
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Originally published in the Observer on 18 December 1938
I am writing this letter now, so that the readers of the Observer can light their fires with it on Monday morning, and you will have six days after it has gone up the chimney to study my wants and decide what you are going to do about them. I know you will be very busy this Christmas, but in case you have time to think about the cinema, here are one or two suggestions for useful gifts.
Give back a film industry to England, just a little one. We have been very stupid, shortsighted and wasteful here, but most of us are sorry now. There are thousands of people out of work in the studios this Christmas, many of them with little prospect of getting back again. Be kind to them, please.
Whisper in the ear of politicians and City men, and...
I am writing this letter now, so that the readers of the Observer can light their fires with it on Monday morning, and you will have six days after it has gone up the chimney to study my wants and decide what you are going to do about them. I know you will be very busy this Christmas, but in case you have time to think about the cinema, here are one or two suggestions for useful gifts.
Give back a film industry to England, just a little one. We have been very stupid, shortsighted and wasteful here, but most of us are sorry now. There are thousands of people out of work in the studios this Christmas, many of them with little prospect of getting back again. Be kind to them, please.
Whisper in the ear of politicians and City men, and...
- 12/18/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
The Yorkshire landscape steals the show in Andrea Arnold's stark, uneasy adaptation of Emily Brontë's tragic romance
In the version of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It" that he used in his Las Vegas nightclub act in the 1950s, Noël Coward included a celebrated couplet that threw doubts on the much vaunted sexual prowess of America's most macho author while extolling the adventurousness of a 19th-century English country vicar's three daughters. "The Brontës felt that they must do it, Ernest Hemingway could just do it," he sang, and indeed the range of social, psychological and sexual experience Emily, Charlotte and Anne explored in their novels is remarkable. So much so that only one of the several film versions of Emily's Wuthering Heights made over the past 90 years has attempted to encompass the book's 30-odd years of pain, misery and ecstasy and its three generations of man handing on...
In the version of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It" that he used in his Las Vegas nightclub act in the 1950s, Noël Coward included a celebrated couplet that threw doubts on the much vaunted sexual prowess of America's most macho author while extolling the adventurousness of a 19th-century English country vicar's three daughters. "The Brontës felt that they must do it, Ernest Hemingway could just do it," he sang, and indeed the range of social, psychological and sexual experience Emily, Charlotte and Anne explored in their novels is remarkable. So much so that only one of the several film versions of Emily's Wuthering Heights made over the past 90 years has attempted to encompass the book's 30-odd years of pain, misery and ecstasy and its three generations of man handing on...
- 11/13/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Winners of the 56th Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards were announced Wednesday evening. The honors annually recognize "excellence in dramatic writing." Samuel Goldwyn Jr., President of The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation revealed the winners. Judging this year's contenders were producer and 2010 Oscar-nominee David Hoberman; writer/director/producer and five time Oscar-nominee Paul Mazursky; and writer/producer and former Goldwyn Award winner, Melanie Marnich. Styled by the foundation as "an entree to a successful writing ...
- 11/3/2011
- Indiewire
Tribeca Enterprises Larry Mullen Jr. and Donald Sutherland
What happens when a masterful veteran actor who has made over 160 films teams up with a rock star drummer making his first foray into acting?
I t was anyone’s guess, and a bit of a gamble. But Donald Sutherland and U2′s Larry Mullen Jr. are still bathing in the afterglow of their unlikely friendship—on and off-screen—after an intensive 17-day shoot of “The Man on the Train”. Skillfully directed by Irish filmmaker,...
What happens when a masterful veteran actor who has made over 160 films teams up with a rock star drummer making his first foray into acting?
I t was anyone’s guess, and a bit of a gamble. But Donald Sutherland and U2′s Larry Mullen Jr. are still bathing in the afterglow of their unlikely friendship—on and off-screen—after an intensive 17-day shoot of “The Man on the Train”. Skillfully directed by Irish filmmaker,...
- 10/31/2011
- by Lanie Goodman
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
As our last thrilling episode ended in June, we had left poor, helpless, hapless Hollywood tied to railroad tracks with the July/August Express out of Union Station barreling down, dastardly Audience Disinterest at the throttle, henchman Audience Apathy throwing on more coal.
But wait! Are those cavalry bugles heard from just over the hill?
Yes! Coming to the rescue, led by our hero Captain Overseas Markets and his sidekick Ancillary Sales!
And just in the nick of time, too!
Seriously. Because I doubt there’s been a Monday’s reading of weekend box office tallies by studio execs this year which hasn’t been accompanied by a silent prayer of thanks for overseas receipts.
Over the last 20-30 years or so, it hasn’t been unusual for top-earning releases – particularly action-driven fare – to pull in more revenue overseas than at home, but recent years have seen the dynamic ratchet up to a dizzying level.
But wait! Are those cavalry bugles heard from just over the hill?
Yes! Coming to the rescue, led by our hero Captain Overseas Markets and his sidekick Ancillary Sales!
And just in the nick of time, too!
Seriously. Because I doubt there’s been a Monday’s reading of weekend box office tallies by studio execs this year which hasn’t been accompanied by a silent prayer of thanks for overseas receipts.
Over the last 20-30 years or so, it hasn’t been unusual for top-earning releases – particularly action-driven fare – to pull in more revenue overseas than at home, but recent years have seen the dynamic ratchet up to a dizzying level.
- 9/7/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
First-time director Larysa Kondracki’s film The Whistleblower is a taut thriller made with the same inescapable tension that makes The Parallax View or even The Conversation so great. Her film tells the real life story of former Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac. While doing peace-keeping work in early 2000′s Bosnia, she discovered a sex traffic ring cover-up that leads all the way up to the United Nations.
And what’s Kondracki’s advice for the U.N., the “villains” at the center of her sex trafficking expose as lead by Weisz? “Man up.”
I sat down with Kondracki at Chicago’s Intercontinental Hotel to discuss her first film, what it was like to work with actors like Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Weisz, and David Strathairn on her first feature, her weird connections to David Cronenberg, and more.
Read Nick Allen’s review of “The Whistleblower”
Working with this material, how do you keep set morale up?...
And what’s Kondracki’s advice for the U.N., the “villains” at the center of her sex trafficking expose as lead by Weisz? “Man up.”
I sat down with Kondracki at Chicago’s Intercontinental Hotel to discuss her first film, what it was like to work with actors like Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Weisz, and David Strathairn on her first feature, her weird connections to David Cronenberg, and more.
Read Nick Allen’s review of “The Whistleblower”
Working with this material, how do you keep set morale up?...
- 8/23/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Each year New York residents can look forward to two essential series programmed at the Film Forum, noirs and pre-Coders (that is, films made before the strict enforcing of the Motion Picture Production Code). These near-annual retrospective traditions are refreshed and re-varied and re-repeated for neophytes and cinephiles alike, giving all the chance to see and see again great film on film. Many titles in this year's Essential Pre-Code series, running an epic July 15 - August 11, are old favorites and some ache to be new discoveries; all in all there are far too many racy, slipshod, patter-filled celluloid splendors to be covered by one critic alone. Faced with such a bounty, I've enlisted the kind help of some friends and colleagues, asking them to sent in short pieces on their favorites in an incomplete but also in-progress survey and guide to one of the summer's most sought-after series. In this entry: what's playing Friday,...
- 8/4/2011
- MUBI
From stage-door duties for the RSC, to the village famous for Straw Dogs, Observer writers reveal their idea of a perfect summer, past and present
● What are your tips for summer culture? Join the discussion
Kitty Empire
Pop critic
Let's be honest – the notion of summer as an extended golden period of rest and re-stimulation really now only applies to the young, the retired, or those in the teaching professions. The rest of us slog on, hoping to catch the odd festival (or maybe just gig in a park), marking time until camping in Cornwall or fly-drive to France, where finally luxuriating in the latest Alan Hollinghurst will come a distant second to stopping the youngest weeing in the hotel pool.
Once, though, I was artfully feckless too, making the rent by working as an usher for the Royal Shakespeare Company. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the...
● What are your tips for summer culture? Join the discussion
Kitty Empire
Pop critic
Let's be honest – the notion of summer as an extended golden period of rest and re-stimulation really now only applies to the young, the retired, or those in the teaching professions. The rest of us slog on, hoping to catch the odd festival (or maybe just gig in a park), marking time until camping in Cornwall or fly-drive to France, where finally luxuriating in the latest Alan Hollinghurst will come a distant second to stopping the youngest weeing in the hotel pool.
Once, though, I was artfully feckless too, making the rent by working as an usher for the Royal Shakespeare Company. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the...
- 8/1/2011
- by Kitty Empire, Mark Kermode, Rowan Moore, Philip French, Susannah Clapp, Laura Cumming, Luke Jennings, Fiona Maddocks, Rachel Cooke, Robert McCrum
- The Guardian - Film News
In addition to starring, Ben Stiller is also in talks to direct 20th Century Fox's long-awaited update of the 1947 classic film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." According to Variety, the project has gone through several directors such as Gore Verbinski, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Chuck Russell.Mike Myers and Jim Carrey had been attached at various points as the star.Steve Conrad ("The Pursuit of Happyness") is working on a script.Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and John Goldwyn are producing."Walter Mitty" is based on James Thurber's 1939 short story about a day-dreaming book editor who imagines numerous heroic lives for himself. The 1947 film, which differed greatly from the original story, starred Danny Kaye as Mitty.Stiller will be seen in "Tower...
- 7/21/2011
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Filed under: Movie News
Hollywood mogul Sam Goldwyn had a litmus test for determining if a movie was a dog: If he squirmed in his seat, the movie stunk. The folks at Disney go in the opposite direction: They put their butts in a Disneyland ride and if they squirm, well, they'll make it into a movie.
In the case of 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' it worked remarkably well. The four films in the franchise have brought in $3.7 billion worldwide. A previous outing at cashing in on a ride, 2003's 'The haunted Mansion,' while not a flop, wasn't the blockbuter the studio had hoped for.
Now the studio is developing an adventure movie project inspired by the Disneyland Matterhorn attraction, a bobsled-type ride that opened in 1959 and has consistently been one of the park's major attractions.
Continue Reading...
Hollywood mogul Sam Goldwyn had a litmus test for determining if a movie was a dog: If he squirmed in his seat, the movie stunk. The folks at Disney go in the opposite direction: They put their butts in a Disneyland ride and if they squirm, well, they'll make it into a movie.
In the case of 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' it worked remarkably well. The four films in the franchise have brought in $3.7 billion worldwide. A previous outing at cashing in on a ride, 2003's 'The haunted Mansion,' while not a flop, wasn't the blockbuter the studio had hoped for.
Now the studio is developing an adventure movie project inspired by the Disneyland Matterhorn attraction, a bobsled-type ride that opened in 1959 and has consistently been one of the park's major attractions.
Continue Reading...
- 6/30/2011
- by Harley W. Lond
- Moviefone
Everett Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jean-Luc Goddard’s film “Breathless” (1960)
Since the competing claims of Edison and the Lumières to have invented the cinema, France and America have amassed two immensely rich but so often opposed film heritages. The attitude that has driven the American cinema was expressed by Sam Goldwyn when he observed, “Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.” The well-crafted narrative rules in Hollywood, which has had little time for Jean-Luc Godard’s comment...
Since the competing claims of Edison and the Lumières to have invented the cinema, France and America have amassed two immensely rich but so often opposed film heritages. The attitude that has driven the American cinema was expressed by Sam Goldwyn when he observed, “Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.” The well-crafted narrative rules in Hollywood, which has had little time for Jean-Luc Godard’s comment...
- 6/13/2011
- by Charles Drazin
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
The big-budget (usually summer) blockbuster is the financial cornerstone of the American motion picture industry, and has been for much of the last 35 years or so. In all its forms – action/adventure, suspense, Western, war story, horror, science fiction, fantasy, et al – the big budget thriller’s earning power is unmatched by any other movie form. Romantic comedies like The Proposal (2009), slapstick and teen comedies like The Hangover (2009) and Little Fockers (2010), are sometimes capable of blockbuster-caliber domestic earnings, but rarely match those of the thriller, nor can they rival its attraction overseas. The performances of more adult-themed dramas and comedies – even those considered financial successes — are often weaker still. The reliance of most major thriller releases today on action-driven plots is a form of cinematic Esperanto, transcending barriers of language and cultural nuance. The blockbuster thriller is as accessible to Asian audiences as it is to Latin American audiences as it is to U.
- 5/1/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
We look back at Farley Granger's movie career, from the two masterpieces he made with Alfred Hitchcock to Luchino Visconti's operatic melodrama Senso
Spotted doing a cockney accent in a play while still at high school, Farley Granger was signed to a seven-year deal by MGM in 1943 and soon put to work alongside Anne Baxter and Dana Andrews in The North Star, a pro-Soviet war film about the sufferings of a Ukrainian village under the Nazi yoke.
With a script by blacklistee Lillian Hellman, The North Star – later reissued under the title Armored Attack! – was cited by the House Committee on Un-American Activities as a prime example of Hollywood communist propaganda.
After one more film – The Purple Heart (1944) – and a spell in the navy where he discovered his bisexuality, Granger found himself cast in what would become his breakthrough film, They Live by Night. Shot in 1947, Nicholas Ray...
Spotted doing a cockney accent in a play while still at high school, Farley Granger was signed to a seven-year deal by MGM in 1943 and soon put to work alongside Anne Baxter and Dana Andrews in The North Star, a pro-Soviet war film about the sufferings of a Ukrainian village under the Nazi yoke.
With a script by blacklistee Lillian Hellman, The North Star – later reissued under the title Armored Attack! – was cited by the House Committee on Un-American Activities as a prime example of Hollywood communist propaganda.
After one more film – The Purple Heart (1944) – and a spell in the navy where he discovered his bisexuality, Granger found himself cast in what would become his breakthrough film, They Live by Night. Shot in 1947, Nicholas Ray...
- 3/30/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Ian Sansom on the complex family saga of the silent movie star
A recent headline in the Birmingham Mail read: "Charlie Chaplin may have been from Birmingham." It reports on a letter found by Chaplin's daughter Victoria, after her father's death, that suggests south London's most famous son may have been a Gypsy born in Smethwick. We may never know the truth: Chaplin's birth certificate has never been discovered. But we do know that his parents worked in the music halls, and that he worked in the entertainment industry for more than 75 years, and that many of his 11 children became actors: the Chaplin family story is as complex, sad and delightful as one of his finest slapstick routines. He wrote in My Autobiography (1964): "To gauge the morals of our family by commonplace standards would be as erroneous as putting a thermometer in boiling water."
Chaplin's father, Charles Chaplin Sr,...
A recent headline in the Birmingham Mail read: "Charlie Chaplin may have been from Birmingham." It reports on a letter found by Chaplin's daughter Victoria, after her father's death, that suggests south London's most famous son may have been a Gypsy born in Smethwick. We may never know the truth: Chaplin's birth certificate has never been discovered. But we do know that his parents worked in the music halls, and that he worked in the entertainment industry for more than 75 years, and that many of his 11 children became actors: the Chaplin family story is as complex, sad and delightful as one of his finest slapstick routines. He wrote in My Autobiography (1964): "To gauge the morals of our family by commonplace standards would be as erroneous as putting a thermometer in boiling water."
Chaplin's father, Charles Chaplin Sr,...
- 3/5/2011
- by Ian Sansom
- The Guardian - Film News
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