Hi Dave & Lee,
I am very proud to own every
copy of Cinema Retro and IÂ look forward to the Where Eagles Dare issue. I
often visit the website at least twice a day and also on my Blackberry 9500 .
I would like you at sometime in the future to do feature on these
movies:
- The Last Hard Men (1976) This features one of James Coburn's finest
performances ever &Â has yet to be released on DVD in the US or the
UK.
- The Stunt Man (1980)Â This movie was made in 1978 and took two years to
be released. It's a very good movie which never seems to be shown on TV,Â
thankfully it is available on DVD ..if you were to contact the director Richard
Rush it would be a very memorable experience for you .                       Â
I would like to finish by saying that Cinema Retro is the only magazine that i have subscribed to & is worth every
penny.
All the very best,
.
Ian Draycott Â
Retro responds: Ian, thanks for the suggestions. These are two worthy films. We're also admirers of The Last Hard Men, which also offered the reunion of Coburn and Charlton Heston, who both starred in Major Dundee a decade before. At the time of its release, the film was lambasted by critics for its bloody content, but it remains a very underrated gem, even though it was saddled with a title that made it sound like porn legend John Holmes' latest endeavor. It's a shame the movie isn't available on DVD- it only exists in bootleg editions. We share your enthusiasm for The Stunt Man, a highly praised but little-seen film. Let's not forget Richard Rush's other great "credit" in his early days: that wonderful James Bond-inspired low budget wonder, A Man Called Dagger. We'll look into your suggestion. Thanks also for the kind words about Cinema Retro magazine- maybe it might help some more "window shoppers" try out an issue. They don't know what they're missing!
Hi Lee,
I am wiping tears from my eyes from laughing so hard at your
Silver Chalice review. I remember the film as being pretty bad, but that just
sounds atrocious! Thanks! I can't believe how funny you made it all seem. Wish I
could be invited to that screening party for witty one-liners. I will make it a
point to seek that one out. I'm hope Newman is laughing in his grave!Â
Bill Shaffer Retro responds: Thanks, Bill...The Silver Chalice is one of those legendary disasters that offers far more entertainment value than many acclaimed comedies. You have to review a lot of films in this crazy business, and the ones that hurt the most are the mediocrities - they're not good enough or bad enough to merit the time spent watching them. However, the old "tits and toga" Biblical films rarely fail to disappoint. I thought DeMille's The Ten Commandments took the cake on unintentional religious hilarity, but it's safe to say it will take a real miracle to wrest the honor from The Silver Chalice.
Adrian Smith
Retro responds: Thanks Adrian-- Love some of those images on the site, including the 1955 fan magazine piece on a promising newcomer named Roger Moore! The ad for The Silver Chalice demonstrates how movie marketing has deteriorated in recent years. Back then, even a turkey received a spectacular ad campaign while today, movies that cost $200 million have dreary and uninspired posters and ads. (Adrian Smith is one of Cinema Retro's London correspondents).
Hi guys;
I have a question for you: I've always loved the sound that guns create in the old Sergio Leone and other spaghetti westerns. Why do they sound so different from the American gun shots and how are they created?
Thanks
.
Earl Tanner Jr.
Retro responds: We put the question to Cinema Retro columnist John Exshaw, our resident expert on all westerns relating to spaghetti. His conclusion:
Well, off the top of my head, Leone and his sound guy went to an old quarry and shot off a variety of guns, recording ricochets, etc. I think the idea was that Leone wanted a) the real sound and b) the sounds as heard in natural surroundings. That is, not just stock sound library gunshot FX. They were worked into the soundtrack, amplified, given echo, etc.
Lee;
I have to disagree with you on the Academy's decision to cut the nominated songs
to 65 seconds each. I'm glad they did.
I've been begging for this for years. The songs in their complete versions gave
viewers (like me) a chance to get another bourbon or hit the bathroom. If I
were producing the program, each song would have one minute, would be taken
right from the movie's soundtrack, and played along with footage from the
movie. They would be presented all at the same time in one five minute movie
song medley.This change alone could shorten the program by 15 minutes. We
only see clips of the movies and performances that are nominated so just a clip
of the song seems fair to me. I believe part of the reason that ratings are
down is the show's running time. Reducing the show's content won't open up
more commercials sales, but may allow the program to end within it's actual
allotted time!Â
Retro responds:Â Bob, your letter was written before the Oscar telecast and in retrospect, I have to agree with you. Given the fact that most of the recent nominated songs are bland at best or awful at worst (though this year's crop was a bit better), it does lessen the pain to blend them all into one number and the strategy worked well this year. However, I do hope that if we get better songs (or the Academy stops ignoring the ones that do turn up in films!), they will revert back to full presentations of each number. I'm still living in a fantasy world in which songs like Moon River will reappear- and I think if they do, even you would put the bourbon on hold and cross your legs and grit your teeth until the commercials in order to take a bathroom break.
Send your letters, criticisms, observations and naked, compromising photos to: cinemaretro@hotmail.com