Here's one of the most unique and exciting entries we've ever posted. Martin Scorsese directing his vision of an Alfred Hitchcock movie that was never made. Only three and a half pages of the script exist and Scorsese films them in a style that does justice to The Master - right down to Bernard Hermann's score for North by Northwest and look-a-likes for Eva Marie Saint and Leo G. Carroll...but be prepared for surprises, because as with anything relating to Hitchcock, all is not what is appears to be! To view the 9 minute film click here

The Dallas Morning News offers a review of the forthcoming commemorative Mustang from the classic Steve McQueen thriller Bullitt. The verdict: thumbs up, but with a few minor reservations. To read click here

Musician Rick E. Coen's unrequited love for British actress Judy Geeson, star of numerous hit films of the 1960s and 1970s has resulted in an original music video titled Falling Again. The good news is it's not geeky and the song is pretty good. To view on You Tube click here.

If you like classic movie posters, check out Movie Poster Studio which has a wealth of excellent international movie posters for sale, including many variations we've never seen. To visit click here

The legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune died ten years ago today. Writer Jonathan Lapper pays tribute to this magnificent icon of the international cinema - and bemoans the fact that he is yet another great star who never received Oscar recognition. To read click here

Three evergreen songs from James Bond movies have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They are:

• The James Bond Theme
• Title theme from Goldfinger
• The Look of Love from the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale. The song had been nominated for an Oscar but lost to the ever-popular If I Could Talk to the Animals from Doctor Doolittle

For the James Bond website MI6' report, click here

Cinema Retro's Dave Worrall sat down to enjoy the recent UK TV special on great disaster movies - and found that the real disaster was in the choice of reel disasters!

When I hear the words “disaster movie” I automatically think of erupting volcanoes, tidal waves, burning buildings, sinking ships and crashing airliners. Doesn’t everyone? Well, apparently not.

Last night I watched ‘The Greatest Ever Disaster Movies’, which aired on Channel 5. Running almost three hours, the programme showed clips from forty films – all voted for by members of the British public and shown in descending order.

The phrase ‘Disaster Movie’ was coined in the early 70’s following the success of The Poseidon Adventure, and this spawned a plethora of films featuring a storyline that concentrated on either a catastrophe caused by nature, or an act of human error. Films like Krakatoa East of Java, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, etc, etc, spring to mind – but that’s not the case with today’s audiences. No, they pick Die Hard, Predator, Con Air and Speed! What? Now, whilst I actually think those latter films are good – excellent, in fact – they are not ‘disaster movies’ but merely superb action films. I found it hard to believe that a film like Twister, which is a ‘disaster movie’, and a bloody good one too, didn’t make the ‘Top Ten’ but Predator, which is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy film, did! Likewise, where was Rollercoaster – another original ‘disaster movie’?

The programme, which was interspersed with interviews with TV critics, film historians and actors, did at least include many of the older classics but I have to admit that whilst we thought it good in its day, Earthquake hasn’t stood the test of time – but at least it was a proper ‘disaster movie’. However, it was nostalgic to see the likes of George Kennedy, Jacqueline Bissett and Robert Vaughn being interviewed, and at least two Seventies ‘classics’ made it into the ‘Top Ten’ (see chart below).

Audiences forget that the whole premise behind this genre was to take a B-movie storyline and fill it with A-list actors who are put in precarious situations, and guaranteed to die. That was the fun of it all. Today, if you are lucky, a big event film has just one, maybe two major stars playing the lead roles. Gone are the days of a major cast line-up. Then again, there are not enough ‘major’ stars left in the world to achieve this – and if there were, the studios couldn’t afford their extortionate fees anyway!

Anyway, enough of my ‘grumpy old man’ moaning - here are the top ten entries voted by the Brits…

10: The Poseidon Adventure.

9: Predator.

8: Speed.

7: War of the Worlds (Cruise version).

6: Con Air.

5: The Day After Tomorrow.

4: The Towering Inferno.

3: Apollo 13.

2: Armageddon.

1: Die Hard.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the programme was sponsored by Play.Com, an internet company specializing in selling DVDs by mail order, and oddly enough all forty films chosen are available on DVD. What a coincidence, especially as the film’s sleeve was shown next to the number it had been voted for!

With the recent death of legendary Hollywood agent Freddie Fields, the motion picture industry lost yet another larger-than-life figure. Writer David Rensin had been collaborating with Fields on his autobiography - a work that, sadly, will never be finished. In reading Rensin's account of his friendship with Fields and the realization that, with his passing, many great anecdotes will never be told, I immediately saw parallels with the mission of Cinema Retro. Through our interviews and essay, we provide a vital voice to many talented actors and filmmakers who are largely ignored by a mainstream media obsessed with air-headed, self-destructive starlets. We contacted David Rensin, who is a prolific author of numerous successful books, and he kindly encouraged us to share his recollections with our readers through linking to his blog. Not only does it provide personal memories of the extraordinary Freddie Fields, but there is also a fascinating account of how Fields figured in the complex negotiations to bring Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to the screen. It's an amusing tale that involves an eclectic group of stuperstars ranging from Steve McQueen to Warren Beatty and Marlon Brando.- Lee Pfeiffer

TO READ DAVID RENSIN'S BLOG CLICK HERE

VISIT DAVID RENSIN'S WEB SITE BY CLICKING HERE

He's the Whistler's Father of The Magnificent Seven - the overlooked guy whose name most people can't come up with in trivia contests relating to the film. The average movie fan knows the names of the most prominent six members of the Seven: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Horst Buchholz - but can never seem to remember who "the other guy" was. His name was Brad Dexter, and although he acquitted himself very well as Harry, the member of the Seven who died convinced there was a hidden cache of gold in the poor Mexican village, Dexter's career as an actor never went beyond the middling stage. He was far more successful as a producer. For a fascinating article about his life and career, read Guy Rocha's article in The Reno Gazette-Journal by clicking here

We came across this nicely done video tribute on You Tube. The person who created it did so for the Coburn family after Jim's death. It only reminds you of the great loss the film industry suffered when Coburn passed away. He was one of those actors who was often taken for granted and whose talents were drastically underused for many years. Happily, at the end of his life, he experienced a major renaissance in his career and won an Oscar for his superb performance in Affliction.  To view click here

The newly-revived Hammer Films will release their long-awaited first motion picture since the late 1970s. Beyond the Rave is a contemporary horror film set in the world of England's rave clubs. The story concerns a soldier's desperate quest to locate his missing girlfriend before he must fly off to Iraq. The script involves vampires, an old staple of the early horror films. What is most unusual is that the movie will "premiere" in 20 minute web episodes on www.myspacetv.com The film, which has apparently been completed on a very low budget, will also be available in its entirety on DVD and through downloads. The cast consists of virtual unknowns. Hammer fans, who have been waiting impatiently for the studio's long-discussed revival, are going to be difficult to please with this approach. Many had hoped that the company would secure adequate funding to make a major film - possibly a Victorian-era horror movie similar to those titles for which Hammer became legendary. Whether the new venture produces a Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee for this generation remains to be seen.

(For Cinema Retro's exclusive behind the scenes coverage of Beyond the Rave click here)

More than a thousand friends, family and fans of legendary stunt driver Bud Ekins packed a memorial service that was held at Warner Brothers studios. A short documentary about Ekins was shown. Ekins performed stunts in numerous films, most notably doubling for Steve McQueen in the famed motorcycle leap in The Great Escape. Among those speaking at the service was Neile Adams, McQueen's first wife. For more click here

British actor James Purefoy has been confimed to play Simon Templar in a new two-hour pilot of a TV series based on Leslie Charteris' The Saint. Several other actors have played the role over the decades, with Roger Moore being the most successful in the long-running 1960s TV series. Val Kilmer made an ill-fated venture into Sainthood by starring in the flop 1990s big screen version. Roger Moore's son Geoffrey will be one of the producers of the new movie. The film is slated to begin shooting in Australia and Berlin next April. For more visit the official Leslie Chateris web site by clicking here

Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer shares some thoughts about a recent CBS TV special

On Friday night, CBS telecast a two-hour TV special entitled Movies Rock that purported to be a celebration of the great songs from motion pictures. I confess to not having seen the first hour, so this can't really be considered a review. However, there are some observations about the second hour that should be made because they epitomize why we at Cinema Retro are more interested in the Hollywood of old than of today. It has nothing to do with wanting to live in the past. It's just that when you see today's "stars" and their slovenly look and behavior, we wonder how anyone can have much enthusiasm for the contemporary film industry. For starters, I don't live under a rock, but I've never even heard of some of the big names who performed on the TV special. I did hear of current heart throb Marc Anthony who was doing a reasonably good tribute to Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson (from The Graduate), although I believe no mention was made of Mr. Garfunkel, who is treated like the Zeppo Marx of the legendary duo. Instead, the song was a tribute to Paul Simon - which may explain a lot about why Simon and Garfunkel broke up. In any event, mid way through Anthony's rendition, he began to flub his lines, then seemed to end the song prematurely after assuring us that "Joltin' Joe has left and gone away" - a line rendered meaningless because Anthony had neglected to sing the song's most famous verse, "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?"

We were then treated to someone named Fergie (not the Duchess of York, unfortunately), who appeared to have stopped in from a streetwalker's convention in order to perform a tribute to the James Bond songs. She was introduced by the typically slovenly Danny DeVito, who mumbled through an inane introduction that informed us that, among the legendary singers who performed Bond title songs was Tina Sinatra. You heard that right. There is a Tina Sinatra, who runs the licensing aspects of Frank Sinatra's estate, so it must have come as news to her sister Nancy, who sang You Only Live Twice that Tina is now being credited for the work. Oh, well, DeVito can't be blamed - he's only been in show business for over forty years. The Bond number chosen for the tribute was Live and Let Die and Fergie certainly made for fetching eye candy as she slid around the stage in an outfit that seemed to be painted on her as other, more talented dancers tried to avoid the pyrotechnics. Fergie almost hit a few notes on key, but it must have been an accident. By the time a giant bungi cord allowed her to soar over the audience like Peter Pan, I became convinced that only SPECTRE could have staged something this dreadful.

There was a wonderful short shown in which Martin Scorsese discussed his obsession with classic films and how sound plays such an important role in the viewer's enjoyment of them. He is leading the charge for restoring and preseving the classics through his Film Foundation. It was a classy, moving segment that put to shame much of what followed. Among the those who strode onstage to engage in that awful "spontaneous" patter generally reserved for award shows were character actor John C. Riley who was teamed with someone named Jenna Fischer, who must be a big star somewhere despite the fact that neither I or the people who were watching with me had ever heard of her. Riley epitomized the now ritualisitc dressing-down-because-dressing-up-is-uncool fashion style. Wearing a bizarre black jacket with swirly white designs, he appeared to be a cross between Captain Kangaroo and someone who stopped in from a kid's rodeo. Yet, there were moments where the show succeeded. Shirley MacLaine, looking ageless and splendid, introduced Queen Latifah, who performed Hey, Big Spender from Sweet Charity. Latifah wasn't as powerful as you would expect, but she at least had respect for the material and didn't try to improve upon a classic. The highlight of the hour I saw was a wonderful segment that was introduced by a typically understated and elegant Harrison Ford. He presented John Williams conducting the orchestra in a tribute to great movie themes set to film clips. It was a majestic segment and moreso than anything else, demonstrated how vital a good composer is to a classic movie. It also made it abundantly clear how accurate John Barry was when he said that most scores for recent motion pictures are little more than "elevator music." Williams paid homage to great themes from Doctor Zhivago, Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, Jaws, Star Wars, The Magnificent Seven and many others in a segment you didn't want to end. Unfortunatley, it did and what followed what followed was a God awful "tribute" to Isaac Hayes' landmark Theme From Shaft. Any resemblance to the original was purely coincidental as a stageful of rap "superstars" teamed up to destroy the classic Oscar winning song. As a middle aged white guy, I had no idea who these performers were but the fact they had joined together for this number was made out to be the most exciting blending of talent since The Rat Pack staged their first "Summit" in Vegas. The rappers left their limos and mansions long enough to don their pretentious designer home boy clothing in order to prove they still have street cred. After mumbling some inane rants, they were given the obligatory standing ovation by an equally pretentious crowd who were desperate to prove they were hip enough to appreciate the abysmal act they had just suffered through.

Fortunately, the evening ended on another high note, as Verizon phone customers (!) had selected

White Christmas as their favorite movie song of all time. (This obsession with the public voting on all manner of things simply to enrich phone companies must be stopped before we start deciding presidential elections in this manner. There are times when democracy is not good for the masses!) In any event, the ageless Tony Bennett took the stage to sing the legendary Irving Berlin song. His style and grace were a marvel to behold and only reiterated that we're now seeing the last vestiges of truly larger-than-life talent. After the Bennetts and MacLaine's are gone, so too will the appreciation of the songs and work they have done - at least in terms of the next generation of fans who will be texting in their selection of Fergie as Entertainer of the Century.

In one of the most intelligent and enlightening interviews we've seen with Martin Scorsese, The Washington Post gets the Oscar-winner and recent Kennedy Center honoree to discuss how films shaped his entire childhood and continue to dominate his life today. For Scorsese, films aren't just a meal ticket, they are an obsession and in the interview he discusses how movies he's seen countless times still move him emotionally. Among his top favorites: John Ford's The Searchers with its beautifully-rendered, melancholy ending in which John Wayne's Ethan Edwards is once again left on his own to face an uncertain future.

For the interview click here

We know, we know...our website is generally dedicated to news items at least bearing some tangible link to films or personalities of classic TV and cinema. But every now and then, please allow us to fall off the wagon - especially when it comes to the estranged Mrs. Sir Paul McCartney. We don't judge anyone by the mistakes of their past (not when you have the track record of the Cinema Retro staffers!). However, pretentiousness and phoniness is something that just sticks in our craw. Heather Mills always vehemently denied she posed for porn photos. When a book surfaced a hile back that showed her performing a certain act on a male model, she discounted charges she was lying by saying these photos were done for "educational" purposes. Ah, what a slave to public service! Under Mills' definition, Linda Lovelace should have been appointed as head of the Education Department. If you weren't impressed by her devotion to higher learning before, the latest photo dug up by Britain's News of the World tabloid makes it clear that her determination to enlighten the general public about anatomy was not a one-shot passion. In the new photo, Mills comes across as a regular Annie Sullivan of The Miracle Worker-generously giving her all in the name of education. We've chosen not to publish the photo on our site, but if you are as perverted as we are you can see it by clicking here. (Like there was a chance you wouldn't!) If nothing else, it should prove once and for all that the most prominent boobs in the UK are not all members of Parliament.

We hope you'll excuse us for bending our policies, but this is still the only entertainment site on the web that remains virtually free of news about Britney, Lindsay, Brad and Angelina - so give us a break. Besides, we can sort of justify the occasional Heather Mills story. After all, she was married to the guy who wrote the song for Live and Let Die and ever since Paint Your Wagon we've had a soft spot for golddiggers. - Lee Pfeiffer

Among the ranks of endless masses of people who have far too much time on their hands, we welcome the creators of Fart Trek. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out the angle here: various clips from episodes of the original Star Trek have been cleverly edited to accomodate the sounds of flatulence - with admittedly amusing results. Don your gas masks and click here. (Thanks to "Graham" for the tip.)