Cinema Retro has received the following press release from The British Film Institute:
On 15 February, the BFI releases Kent Mackenzie’s 1961 film The
Exiles. Deeply affecting and utterly convincing, this remarkable film
chronicles one night in the lives of a group of young American Indians living in
the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles.
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Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the
film follows this group of exiles – transplants from Southwest reservations – as
they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance. With its vivid, high-contrast black
and white photography and soundtrack by The Revels, Kent Mackenzie’s gritty,
no-frills depiction of this marginalised Los Angeles community draws comparisons
to John Cassavetes, Charles Burnett and Vittorio De Seta.
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Finally made available on DVD in the UK for the first time, it’s packed
with extras including a feature commentary and short films.
Clint Eastwood has revealed that producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman once offered him the role of James Bond when Sean Connery quit the series. Connery actually quit twice- after You Only Live Twice in 1967 and again after Diamonds Are Forever in 1971. (George Lazenby filled the gap in one film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.) Eastwood doesn't say in what time frame he was offered the part, but says he rejected the offer. He tells Britain's Express newspaper, "I thought James Bond should be British. I am of British descent but by
that same token, I thought that it should be more of the culture there
and also, it was not my thing." Chances are the offer was made to him after Lazenby quit the series and production was gearing up for Diamonds Are Forever. Broccoli and Saltzman entertained the idea of casting an American actor in the part of Bond, and considered Adam West for the role before actually signing John Gavin for the series. However, when Connery was convinced to return to the part of 007, Gavin was released from his contract. As much as we admire Eastwood, we have to agree with his decision. Thankfully, Broccoli and Saltzman never made the mistake of casting an American as Bond, though they did revisit the idea when they felt Roger Moore might leave the series. James Brolin was called in to film some screen tests. Clint Eastwood has occasionally dabbled in the world of cinematic espionage, starring in the spy thrillers The Eiger Sanction and Firefox. For more click here
Given the long, troubled history of Universal's attempt to bring The Wolfman back to the screen as a big-budget remake, you may wonder how they were going to pull it off. According to Variety critic Todd McCarthy, the answer is simple: they didn't. McCarthy rips the production for lacking suspense and condemns director Joe Johnston for using quick cut-aways in the action sequences that not only become a boring technique, but gives the film a cheap look. To read the entire review click here (You may have to register with the Variety site)
Released this week (Feb 8th) in time for this
weekend’s Valentine Day activities, Silva Screen’s My Twisted Valentine (SILED4495) is a superb anti-Valentine
compilation of film music for the more cynical amongst us.From neurotic Marnie,
blood sucking Dracula and all-out war
of the sexes in Kill Bill to ‘train
wreck’ mentality of Betty Blue and the ‘bunny boiling’ Fatal Attraction, this CD has a great mix of movie themes. What I found most gratifying about this release is that it contains certain themes that I really like - but not quite
enough to make me want to purchase the original soundtrack CD just for the one title
track. Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
and London Music Works, films featured include: Psycho, La Dolce Vita, Marnie, Eyes Wide Shut, Bram Stoker’s
Dracula, Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise, Fatal Attraction, Betty Blue,
Lolita, Rosemary’s Baby, Brokeback
Mountain, Vertigo and Twilight.
It’s worth buying just for the themes to Marnie, Rosemary’s Baby, Vertigo
and the La Dolce Vita suite, alone.
Go on, give it to the one you don’t
love on Valentine’s Day – they’ll love
you for doing so!
It's rather ironic that the most impressive and insightful Quentin Tarantino interview we've seen in a long while should come on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. Maddow generally doesn't deviate from her nightly opinion program about political issues - and she admits to Tarantino that she's never seen one of his films in its entirety because of the violent content. Nevertheless, Tarantino, who is deprived of his penchant for dropping four letter words, is far more articulate and interesting than when he does indulge in that habit. In an extended and intelligent discussion of Inglourious Basterds, the Oscar-nominated director traces the origins of the film to the days of the Old West. He explains that he has been fascinated by the concept that a much smaller group of fighting men can terrify large armies if they use sufficiently brutal tactics. He cites the Apache's ability to fight the U.S. Cavalry to a standstill for years using this method. He also says he watched many Nazi-era propaganda films produced by Goebbels in researching his movie. He correctly points out that, while some of these contained horrible anti-Semitic messages, the majority were feel-good, Hollywood-like musicals and costume dramas because the Nazi propaganda minister fancied himself a major film talent. To watch click here