By Lee Pfeiffer

The Film Society of Lincoln Center's week long tribute to Steve McQueen concluded last night with a big screen showing of Bullitt. Sadly, director Peter Yates, who was scheduled to introduce the film, was sidelined by an illness. However, party-hearty New Yorkers didn't let that interfere with enjoying the cocktail party held in his honor prior to the screening. The print provided was in very good condition and the audience responded with the enthusiasm of seeing the movie for the first time. It did occur to me, however, that given what a cash cow Bullitt has been for Warner Brothers since 1968, that it hasn't merited a full restoration. Let's hope the studio does justice to this film by making this a priority. Kudos to the Film Society for a job well done and an exciting week of superb entertainment. 

By Lee Pfeiffer

On Saturday May 23, actor Robert Vaughn appeared at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's tribute to Steve McQueen, introducing a screening of John Sturges' 1960 classic The Magnificent Seven. Hundreds of classic movie lovers gave Vaughn an enthusiastic greeting, as he reflected on the making of the film in his introduction. He quipped that he got the gig by default because he's the last remaining member of the legendary "Seven". Vaughn recalled how Sturges cast him after seeing the 27 year-old actor's Oscar-nominated performance in The Young Philadelphians.Sturges then asked him if he knew a "Gary Cooper-type" to play the part of Britt, the knife-thrower. Vaughn instantly recommended his college buddy James Coburn, who was then destitute and living in New York. Coburn had to borrow the plane fare from his parents to meet with Sturges, but he and Vaughn  remained lifelong friends - and Coburn was always grateful that Vaughn jump-started his big screen career. Vaughn said he recently ran into the other major surviving cast member, Eli Wallach, who played the bandit leader Calvera. The two remembered an amusing aspect of the filming: the presence on the set of a well-known Mexican film director who was employed to do translating to the crew and supporting actors. He said the man's career had only been marginally impacted by the fact that, after a Mexican film critic gave a pan review to one of his films, he killed the critic! Vaughn said that, even from an actor's standpoint, that reaction was a bit extreme for a critic. Following the introduction, Vaughn sat next to Neile McQueen, Steve's first wife, to view the movie on the big screen for the first time since 1960. The print was the best I have seen on a theater screen and the appreciative audience applauded at virtually every name on the opening credits. (You know you are in a sophisticated crowd when composer Elmer Bernstein's name gets as much applause as the stars!).

By Lee Pfeiffer

It was a very special opening night of The Film Society of Lincoln Center's week-long tribute to the films and career of Steve McQueen. Fox provided a stunning, newly restored 35mm print of director Robert Wise's 1966 epic The Sand Pebbles, which garnered McQueen his only Oscar nomination. Experiencing the film on the big screen with a superb sound system proved to be a wonderful experience - because if you haven't seen The Sand Pebbles in a theater, you haven't seen it at all. The evening kicked off with an introduction by Candice Bergen, who related that she was a rather nervous 19 year-old in the largely all-male company of heavyweights. She recalled how filming on Taiwan for many months was an arduous - and simultaneously boring - experience. In 1965, the island was largely devoid of any modern conveniences and newspapers and telephones were almost impossible to find. While the men had each other to pal around with, Bergen was largely left on her own - except for times when McQueen would take her on impromptu, wild motorcycle rides. She said the iconic star would often zip off on his cycle, causing director Wise to worry whether he would ever see him again. She said that it was more pleasurable filming back at the Fox Ranch in California, where the massive set for the China Light mission was constructed for the climactic sequence. She said she still remains impressed by the work of the production design team. Ms. Bergen also said that director Wise was very politically-oriented and that the film was an intentional metaphor for the on-going Vietnam conflict.

In honour of what would have been Sergio Leone’s 80^th birthday, Sir Christopher Frayling, the late director’s internationally acclaimed biographer, hosted a celebration of the legenary filmmaker’s work at the Italian Cultural Institute in London on Wednesday evening.

Sir Christopher, who has penned the foreword to Dave Worrall and Lee Pfeiffer’s upcoming book ‘The Westerns of Clint Eastwood’, invited Dave, along with Cinema Retro contributors, and authors in their own right, Matthew Field and Howard Hughes, and photographer Mark Mawston to this private tribute.

Posters from Sergio Leone’s movies adorned the walls, providing a fitting backdrop to the evening, which began with a talk on Leone’s career by Frayling (illustrated with a slideshow) followed by an on-stage interview with famed Italian director Dario Argento, who collaborated with Leone on the screenplay for Once Upon A Time in the West.

After an entertaining Q&A with an audience that included actor Robert Rietty (who did voice-over work for Leone) and production designer Sir Ken Adam, the guests were treated to a live performance of music from Leone’s movies by Paolo Castelluccia. His arrangements were amazing, especially as he and his partner were limited to the use of a piano, keyboards and trumpet, the highlight being from Once Upon A Time in America, which had the 150+ audience captivated.

 

By Lee Pfeiffer

In recent years, New Jersey has become Seventh Heaven for classic movie lovers, with numerous old-time theaters giving first class presentations of great films. April 29 saw a special screening of Stanley Kramer's 1963 comedy classic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World at the Cedar Lane Theaters in Teaneck, New Jersey. Droves of fans came from far and wide to attend the show. A very nice 35mm print was screened to the delight of one and all. Theater owner Nelson Page is no stranger to movie fans. He's been sponsoring his program of Big Screen Classics for years and providing yeoman showmanship in the process. At the Cedar Lane, audiences were treated to a wonderful pre-show old time organ recital that included the film's main theme. The theater is also a treasure trove of old-time vestiges of an era when going to a movie theater was something special. There's a vintage theater box-office inside the theater lobby, as well as some eye-catching original movie posters. For Mad World, Paul Scrabo, one of the world's great experts on the film and the man who was instrumental in putting together the tribute documentary released by MGM Home Video in the 1990s, displayed rare posters and original artwork from the film. Scrabo also introduced the film and provided some fascinating insights into the behind-the-scenes stories. Scrabo also astutely pointed out that, while some people find the film to be overblown and unfunny, the criticism that the actors are overshadowed by the stunts is completely untrue. He correctly informed the audience that the script allows each of the many actors to play a fully developed character and lets their unique comedic abilities shine.Scrabo also said that many of the stars of the film were primarily known to audiences through black-and-white TV series. Thus, the opportunity to see all these legendary comics on the wide screen and in color was quite a thrill in 1963. The fact that the film has such a loyal and enthusiastic following after all these decades is all the proof you need that Stanley Kramer succeeded in his vision of creating a comedy that is a true classic.

Click here to visit Paul Scrabo's website which has extensive coverage of Mad World.

Click here for more information on the Big Screen Classics series.

Continue reading for more photos from the event.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Last Friday, I attended the special screening of The Lion in Winter at the Loews Theatre, the classic movie palace in Jersey City, New Jersey. Not only did I want to see the highly acclaimed film on the big screen for the first time, but the event also allowed me to meet with my old friend, Anthony Harvey who directed the 1968 classic. It had been a few years since I had seen Tony, who I first met when I was writing the Sony DVD documentary on the making of Dr. Strangelove. Tony had been Stanley Kubrick's editor on that film as well as Lolita and it was Kubrick himself who persuaded Tony to try his hand at directing. I was pleased to see Tony looking as fit as ever - though his modesty, in an industry dominated by towering egos,  continues to amaze me. As the doors were opened, he said he suspected only a handful of people would turn up. He was shocked to find hundreds in attendance, and prior to the screening, Tony was accorded rock star treatment by classic movie buffs who asked him to autograph their programs. It should be noted that there are no longer any 35mm prints of this classic movie in good enough condition to make it through a projector. This one remaining archival print was made available to the Loews by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Prior to the film, Tony was interviewed at length by author and film historian Foster Hirsch, who is among the best when it comes to asking intelligent questions of his subject. Tony said that he had only one minor independent film to his credit (the little-seen Dutchman) when he was tapped to direct The Lion in Winter. He confessed that initially, it was a bit nerve-wracking to consider he would suddenly be in charge of such a big-budget movie, as well as directing acting royalty like Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn.However, he quickly realized that if he was to enjoy the respect of the cast and crew, he would have to be a decisive and strong figure on the set. His first challenge was to find suitable locations, a feat that would see the production filming in England, Ireland and France. Tony was resolved to accurately recreate the conditions of King Henry II's reign in the 12 century - and found the coldest, least hospitable castle imagineable. He improvised certain aspects of the filming by putting an abundance of animals in the midst of the set without forewarning the actors. Thus, cast members had to negotiate around running chickens and dogs. There was method to the madness as research showed this to be an accurate representation of the king's court of that era.