BY LEE PFEIFFER

Remember the old days when unpredictable occurrences seemed to predictably occur at the Oscars ceremony? There was the nude streaker who failed to unravel the ever-unflappable David Niven. There were the political activist winners who used the forum to grandstand for their favorite causes. This included Vanessa Redgrave's pro-Palestinian, anti-Zionist remarks during her acceptance speech, Marlon Brando sending a surrogate to reject his "Godfather" Oscar in protest of Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans, "Patton" winner George C. Scott refusing to show up at all in protest of the competitive nature of awards shows, the producers of the anti-Vietnam War documentary "Hearts and Minds" taking solace that that the nation was about to be "liberated" by a brutal communist regime, which caused another stir when Frank Sinatra was pushed on stage at Bob Hope's urging to read a hastily-scribbled denouncement of the remark. The Oscars haven't been as relevant or fun since, though I've been among the dwindling ranks of critics who often defend the entertainment value of the show even as its become ever more chic to diss the telecast as increasingly irrelevant. The Oscars have always been flawed, to be sure, and so have the ceremonies but they have also provided a lot of moments that were fun and sometimes poignant. (If you doubt me, just watch the marvelous segment of Charlie Chaplin returning from blacklist exile to receive a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1972 in the clip below.)  

This year's Oscar awards ceremony didn't need spontaneous moments to cause controversy. We knew going in that the elephant in the room would have to be addressed: the on-going criticism in some quarters that the Academy is racist because there were no black nominees this year. This is total nonsense, of course, as has been pointed out by numerous distinguished African-American members of the Academy. Yes, Oscar was lily white this year and last year as well but it certainly wasn't due to an orchestrated attempt to bar people of color from being nominees. Since the 1960s, the Academy has overseen a long, sometimes torturous road toward removing the kinds of prejudicial barriers that not only had traditionally characterized the awards but the Hollywood studio system as a whole. It was a big deal when Hattie McDaniel won for "Gone With the Wind" and Sidney Poitier became the second black actor to win a full quarter of a century later for "Lilies of the Field". Since then the Academy has mirrored the changes in society to the point where no one thinks its particularly newsworthy to report on the skin color of any winner. Still, some folks got their knickers twisted about the all-white field of nominees this year. Host Chris Rock was lobbied to cancel his gig as host of the event, 'lest he be labeled an Uncle Tom. (To his credit, Rock ignored the implied threat.) A few other prominent people made a big deal about boycotting the ceremony. Chief among them, Will Smith, whose absence seemed less a statement of principal than simply pouting over the fact that he didn't get his expected nomination for "Concussion". (Smith conveniently seems to have forgotten that the Academy had previously nominated him twice.) Smith was joined by the ever-angry Spike Lee, despite the fact that his career was launched by winning a student Academy Award. He had also been nominated for two regular Oscars and only this very year accepted an honorary Oscar for his entire career. He showed up to accept that at a pre-broadcast ceremony, all the while denouncing the Academy as engaging in racist behavior. Talk about wanting your cake and eating it, too.  Lee pointed out that this is the second straight year that the Oscars nominees were all white. "We can't act?! WTF!!", he asked rhetorically. That's hardly the case. Remember way back to 2014 when the Academy earned praise for its awarding of three Oscars ( and a total of nine nominations) to "12 Years a Slave"? Lee and Smith would somehow have you believe that the Academy members suddenly became racist since then and conspired to deprive black artists from getting nominations. The sad truth is that there is a scarcity of black talent behind the cameras and the major African-American actors often don't appear in films that are Oscar-worthy. That's not to diminish the value of the actors or the films. They are simply gearing their movies to the expectations of their audiences, which is what actors have done since the beginning of time. Chris Rock emphasized this point with an amusing "man-on-the-street" segment in which everyday black moviegoers were interviewed about their opinions of the films nominated this year for Best Picture. None of the people interviewed saw them and some hadn't even heard of any. The lack of interest among younger black people to pursue movie-making careers does deprive the industry of hearing and seeing alternative viewpoints from a cinematic perspective. But what is the solution proposed by Lee and Smith- to force young people to attend film school whether they like it or not?

Last night's ceremony started off well with a witty and expertly delivered monologue by Chris Rock. He gently tweaked the Academy by acknowledging the controversy but then, like a person who can't resist telling a good joke until the point of boredom, he kept revisiting the racism angle throughout the evening with very mixed results. To be sure Rock was himself caught between a rock and a hard place. He had to thread the needle between not appearing to be insulting to the Academy that was paying him a king's ransom to host the show, without alienating his core base of fans. To the degree he succeeded will be determined in the days to come. (Personally, I'm getting weary of major awards shows hiring hosts who have the intention of trashing the very awards the show is about. Enough already.)  Suffice it to say Rock was in the ultimate "no win" situation. However, his insistence on not burying the race debate undermined other elements of the show. Adding to the absurdity of the racism accusations was a speech about diversity that was delivered by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy, who, not incidentally, is an African-American. I don't know of many racist organizations that elect a minority female to be their representative. In any event, the Academy went so overboard in presenting black artists on stage that the whole thing threatened to back-fire. Presumably, the intention was to provide a not-so-subtle rebuke of Smith and Lee's charges by having some of the most respected African-Americans in the industry today show their implied support of the Academy by appearing on the show.  After all, does anyone really think living legends like Morgan Freeman or Quincy Jones would lend their presence to a racist ceremony? However, most viewers probably simply regarded this as politically correct pandering to the critics. Indeed, Sacha Baron Cohen, in amusing ""Ali G" character mode made reference to the "token" white presenters. Since the vast majority of people who watch the Oscars are older and white, you could almost hear the comments in homes across the nation: "I hate racism but for God's sake stop cramming all this diversity stuff into the Oscars." Agree or disagree, I've already heard from people who think the Academy, in the immortal words of Louis B. Mayer, should "Leave the messages to Western Union". 

Chris: Between a Rock and a hard place.

The main purpose of the ceremony is to celebrate great film-making but the constant references to race threatened to overshadow the individual achievements of the artists. The show ambled on to the customary 3 1/2 hour running time. As usual there were highs and lows. What follows are my random thoughts on various aspects of the show:

• It always bothers me that honorary awards to living legends are reduced to a few seconds of film clips from a pre-show dinner. This is supposedly done to allow the telecast to move quickly. However, it also deprives viewers of magical moments such as the Chaplin award shown in the clip above. This year we learned that Debbie Reynolds received an honorary Oscar yet we got to see virtually none of it. Yet there was time for such bizarre segments as "SNL"-like comedy skits, a protracted and unfunny extended gag in which Girl Scouts went into the audience to sell cookies (!)and an appearance by Vice-President Joe Biden (to a rapturous ovation) to denounce sexual harassment on college campuses. Huh? While I don't want to see anyone suffer harassment of any kind anywhere, this was out of place on the Oscars and only justified on the dotted line reasoning that the subject matter was covered in the Oscar-nominated documentary "The Hunting Ground".  Sorry- it would have been more appropriate to see Debbie Reynolds in the twilight of her years accepting accolades from her peers. 
• It was a night of surprises. Alejandro Inarritu, who won the Oscar last year for directing "Birdman", scored a rare back-to-back win for "The Revenant". However, this was also a rare case in which the Best Picture ("Spotlight") was directed by someone other than the Best Director winner. You had to feel for Sylvester Stallone, who was the sentimental favorite for Supporting Actor for "Creed". He lost in a surprise upset to the brilliant Mark Rylance for "Bridge of Spies"  that reminded me of a similar situation many years ago when Burt Reynolds was supposed to win in the same category for "Boogie Nights" only to be by-passed by the Fickle Finger of Fate. Let's hope Stallone at least keeps his renewed respect in the industry by not making the mistake Reynolds made and delving back into awful projects in search of a fast, fat pay check. Another big surprise was the fact that "Mad Max: Fury Road" won the most Oscars, six in total, all in the technical categories. A lot of establishment types are still mystified about the critical acclaim this film received and how it ended up with a Best Picture nod. Suffice it to say, it's an acquired taste.
• There was a definite political aspect to the show, all of it left wing. As usual some winners used their speeches to sermonize about everything from race relations to the threat of global warming. (They should pass out violins to these people.) At some point I thought I could hear Rush Limbaugh's head explode, though the telecast will give right wing commentators plenty of meat on the bone for their annual dissection of the awards as a thinly-disguised Democratic political event. Having said that, there were precious few Donald Trump jokes. Perhaps he's doing more damage to himself than any writers could. 
• Style and glamour outdistanced the embarrassing fashion statements. Many of the ladies looked sensational, though I will admit to being vulnerable in terms of overlooking certain fashion mistakes if the necklines plunge deep enough. It's enough to justify the  admonishments of Major Hawthorne, played by Terry-Thomas in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", who chastises Americans for their "positively infantile pre-occupation with bosoms!"  The men looked  equally classy and elegant with the Bond-revived white tuxedo making a major comeback. Host Chris Rock wore one and looked terrific. The biggest faux pas in terms of fashion, quite predictably came from the Oscar winner for Best Costume Design, Jenny Beavan, who won for "Mad Max: Fury Road". She decided to replicate the grunge look of the film by wearing a cheap leather jacket but she came off looking like a character from the "Star Wars" cantina sequence. 

Actress/model Kate Upton symbolized the female strategy for attire: "If you've got it, flaunt it!"

• An emotional highlight was the Best Score Oscar given to one of the few living legends in the field, the great Ennio Morricone for his score for "The Hateful Eight". Morricone's presence only reiterated just how diminished the field of impressive film composers is today. Sure, there are a handful of reliable names but no one like Morricone, John Barry, Dimitri Tiomkin, Elmer Bernstein or Jerry Goldsmith. That's partly the fault of an industry that regards composers not as valuable members of the production team, as it had in the past, but as necessary evils. Therefore composers are often brought in very late to create scores on ridiculously short deadlines. 
• The in memorial montage to talents lost in the last year is always a moving highlight, and this year was no exception. However, as usual there were some inexcusable snubs of revered people. The most glaring I noticed was John Guillermin, who directed such major hits as "The Towering Inferno", "King Kong" (1976 version), "Death on the Nile", "Skyjacked" and many others. No mention of beloved character actor Abe Vigoda, either. Yet, there was room in the montage for a host of people who worked in the weeds of show business in terms of public awareness.  (Apparently even dead people in Hollywood need press agents.) These omissions cause great backlashes every year but the Academy soldiers on making the same mistakes, thus giving credence to conspiracy theorists who believe that inclusion in the montage is based more on personal relationships than achievements. 
• Most of the speeches by winners were unremarkable. Popular winner for Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was a class act, as was Mark Rylance. When the winners droned on too long, the orchestra fired up Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" to intimidate them into shutting up. It seemed to have little-to-no effect. Maybe next year a helicopter attack can accompany the music to persuade them to get off stage.
• Best speech of the night was by presenter Louis C.K. who pointed out that the most deserving nominees were those in the category for Best Documentary (short). He said that these were true artists, driven by a passion for story-telling and filmmaking and that none of them will probably make anything like a living wage in the course of these noble endeavors. 
• Every year there is at least one presenter who engages in trashy behavior in order to bolster their image as somebody on the "cutting edge". This year it was foul-mouthed "comedienne" Sarah Silverman, who has about as much to do with the contemporary film industry as Fatty Arbuckle. Silverman, with her trademark deadpan Morticia Adams demeanor, strode on stage to introduce a performance of the nominated song "Writing's On the Wall" from "Spectre". She used the opportunity to disparage the long-running franchise and, in doing so, diminished the introduction of the song's writer and performer, Sam Smith. The Bond producers and Smith got the last laugh when the song won the award but one has to wonder why Silverman was chosen to introduce a segment that insulted the nominees? Surely there were composers and singers who would have been honored to have the gig. Instead, they went with a woman whose film credits include something titled "Cops, Cum, Dicks and Flying". Whoever brought her on board should be fired- or worse, made to watch back-to-back screenings of "Copes, Cum, Dicks and Flying". 
• Speaking of the Best Song category, Smith's Bond number was no classic by 007 standards but it was certainly a lot better than some worst songs in the series (think "Die Another Day" and the wretched "Quantum Of Solace"). It was also light years better than the other nominated songs that were performed including "Til It Happens to You", a dreadful concoction about sexual abuse from "The Hunting Ground" written and performed by Lady Gaga. It may have been written with the best of intentions (abuse victims were present on stage) but that didn't make hearing it any more bearable. Similarly, the song "Earned It" from "50 Shades of Grey" was also terrible. The film is about people who enjoy sado-masochism. After listening to this number I felt that I had been drafted into the ranks of masochists. By the way, two of the nominated songs weren't even performed at all, proving that star power is the primary factor in terms of deciding who the "Cool Kids" are in terms of having their work exposed to millions of viewers. Who gets to tell the nominees of the other two songs that their work doesn't merit being performed?  (Click here to view the song performances). 
• Speaking of Bondian references, it was nice to hear those classic 007 themes played as the show entered each commercial break. Also great that they included Burt Bacharach's superb main theme for the 1967 spoof version of "Casino Royale". 
• I was happy to see "Spotlight" nab the Best Picture award primarily because it reiterates the valuable and often thankless role that investigative reporters play in democratic societies. Sadly we live in an age where such writing skills and dogged determination are deemed expendable  by people who rarely pick up newspapers any more. 

Cinema Retro's "Man About London" Mark Mawston covers the "A" list events for our site- including last evenings BAFTA awards. Here are some of his outstanding shots from the red carpet. (All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved.) Mark has photographed some of the legends of rock 'n roll. Visit Mark's web site by clicking here. 

"Star Wars" sensation John Boyega.

Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Matt Damon and wife Luciana.

By Eddy Friedfeld

If you’re above a certain age, Sylvester Stallone is more than an icon, he is an inspiration. The real-life backstory of Rocky is just as mesmerizing as the film itself, as a struggling actor refused to sell his script unless he was able to star as The Italian Stallion. The rest of his history is also ours.

Strolling through the private preview in Manhattan was a tour through my own recollections, as well as Stallone’s filmography. Over 750 props, costumes and personal items will be offered. Boxing gloves, trunks, robes, and the original handwritten script are up for sale, as well as the ball Rocky plays with as he walked through the streets of Philadelphia.

Rambo’s field jacket, machete and Bowie knife, as well as a set of costumes, prop armour and gun from Judge Dredd are on the block. You can also buy pieces ranging from Freddy Heflin’s bloodstained peace officer uniform from Copland, to Stanley Rosiello’s gang jacket from The Lords of Flatbush, to Angelo “Snaps” Provolone’s three piece suit from Oscar.

Also up is Deke DaSilva’s flight suit from one of my all-time favorites, 1981’s Nighthawks, where Stallone and Billy Dee Williams play undercover New York City Detectives tasked to the Federal government to fight terrorist Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer in his first American starring role) long before 9/11, with a great tense climactic scene atop New York’s Roosevelt Island Tramway.

The auction will be held in Los Angeles on December 18-20. Visit HA.com/Stallone, or call 866-825-3243866-825-3243 FREE for more information.

By Hank Reineke

Perhaps it is only fitting that area meteorologists would forewarn ominously that the Mahoning Drive-in Theater’s “Christopher Lee Tribute” might take place on a cold and dark and stormy night. After all, it was the villainous film legacy of the actor – who passed away at age 93 on June 7th of this year – to have frightened generations of moviegoers in such a bleakly nightmarish rain-soaked setting. As it happened, while the shivery autumnal chill on Saturday night was undeniable, there was – happily - nary a sprinkle of precipitation to obscure one’s windshield view of the drive-in’s massive CinemaScope screen.

The Mahoning Drive-in, located amidst the Pocono Mountains surrounding Lehighton, Pennsylvania, is – quite frankly – an anomaly amongst the anomalies of surviving drive-in theaters. Whilst most remaining drive-ins have been forced to move cautiously and expensively to digital projection systems or else suffer their screens going dark, the Mahoning has survived this past year through a series of weekend-only 35mm retro-film screenings. The Mahoning has undoubtedly provided some great repertory movie-going fun this past summer; only time will tell if the theater’s unorthodox business model is sustainable.

I was pleased to learn that the Mahoning had set aside a night’s programming to commemorate the legacy of the great Christopher Lee, the saturnine and elegant British actor who appeared in innumerable films over a career lasting near seven-decades. I admit to some bafflement when first seeing the handbill advertising the evening’s selection of films: “Hercules in the Haunted World,””Horror Express,” and “Psycho Circus.” It was an odd sort of tribute program as it would not feature a single popularly acclaimed classic from the honoree’s deep back catalog. Instead, the program was seemingly drawn from a triad of second (and perhaps third) tier-efforts celebrated only among the cognoscenti. I made my peace with the program when I recognized two of the three films scheduled would likely rarely – if ever – be presented from original 35mm elements anywhere in the world in the year 2015.

In any event, the more celebrated legacy of Christopher Lee was amply exemplified throughout the evening with a series of vintage trailers. The crew at the Mahoning promised a cavalcade of Lee-related trailers between features and they delivered handsomely. There were the requisite Hammer trailers, of course: “Horror of Dracula,” “Dracula Has Risen from the Grave,” “Scream of Fear,” “Rasputin, the Mad Monk,” “The Devil-Ship Pirates,” and “She,” as well as such combo-bill late-night drive-in madness as “Dracula: Prince of Darkness/”Plague of the Zombies” and “Scars of Dracula/Horror of Frankenstein.” Lee’s non-Hammer horror film work was represented with a pair of trailers featuring Tigon’s “The Creeping Flesh” and A.I.P’’s “The Oblong Box.” Perhaps more enjoyable, if only as a kitschy reminder that there were some mind-numbing clunkers as well, were the trailers for “The Return of Captain Invincible” (1983) and “Arabian Adventure” (1979).

The night’s features kicked off with a gorgeous 35mm Technicolor print of Mario Bava’s handsomely mounted “Hercules in the Haunted World.” Originally released in Italy in 1961 as “Ercole al Centro Della Terra,” the film was belatedly marketed to English-speaking countries as “Hercules against the Vampires” or under other similar but variant titles. This opportunistic marketing strategy – no matter how false – was designed, no doubt, to ride the gold sovereign lined coattail pockets of Lee’s mid-60s popularity as the reigning Count Dracula of the Hammer film series. In a tacked-on preamble to the U.S. version of the film (released in 1963), Lee’s character, King Lycos, is even described on the film’s soundtrack as a “diabolical vampire” which he, most certainly is not… or, at least, not in the more accepted use of the term.

The storyline itself is essentially a paint-by-numbers swords-and-sandals epic with the usual mythological trappings and supernatural overtones, but is rescued from the ordinary by Bava’s eerie visualization of the subterranean underworld. Hercules (played by the British bodybuilder Reg Park) must travel to Hades, the God Pluto’s grim “Kingdom of the Dead,” to rescue his true love, the Princess Deianira. Bava’s ghastly underworld is soberly realized with blue-green tinted labyrinth passageways of swirling mists, of knotty limbs and thorny vines that hang spookily from dead trees, and of subterranean lakes of fiery lava. Lee strikes a suitably menacing figure as the scheming and sadistic King Lycos, though his performance is partly handicapped by the fact that the actor’s voice is dubbed throughout. One cannot help but mourn the absence of the villainous gravitas of Lee’s inflected speaking voice. (Click here to order this film from Amazon) 

The night’s second feature, “Horror Express (1972)” was the anchor to the evening’s triptych program. Likely the film most familiar to U.S. enthusiasts due to it being in near constant rotation on “Chiller Theater” type-programming in the 1970s and 1980s, this soon-to-be-neglected Spanish-British co-production eventually fell into public domain status and became a staple of every low-budget VHS and DVD collector’s set.

Following several minutes of exposition in the snow-capped mountains of Manchuria’s Hangchow Province, the remainder of the film is set in the claustrophobic confines of the Trans-Siberian Express. Lee plays Professor Alexander Saxton, a stern and humorless – but nonetheless prominent – anthropologist who believes he’s discovered the “remarkable fossil” of the proverbial Missing Link. Things take a turn for the worse when a curious fellow scientist (Peter Cushing), intrigued by his rival colleague’s secretiveness, bribes an ill-fated coachman to take a peek inside the heavily chained and padlocked crate. This proves to be unfortunate as the fossil, which proves to be not as extinct as one might wish, is released. The creature proceeds to lumber freely around the train carriage, terrifying and absorbing the brains of his fellow passengers. (Click here to order this film from Amazon).

The evening’s final film was “Psycho Circus” (alternate British title “Circus of Fear”) one of a number of Anglo-German co-productions ministered by Harry Alan Towers which featured Lee as the marquee star in the years 1965-1970. Tower and Lee enjoyed a measure of box-office success bringing Sax Rohmer’s notorious (and extremely politically incorrect) super-villain “Fu Manchu” to the big screen. Though Towers’s series of “Fu Manchu” films with Lee, admittedly, varied widely in quality, they remain enjoyable popcorn programmers to this very day. For this film they looked to the novelist Edgar Wallace for inspiration. There were two versions of Wallace’s “Circus of Fear” (the original 1966 British title): a longer color German version directed by Werner Jacobs and an English version helmed by John Moxey of “City of the Dead” and “The Night Stalker” fame.

Jerry Lewis and Martin Scorsese collaborated on the classic film "The King of Comedy". Now Scorsese will moderate an evening with Lewis at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens on Tuesday, October 6. Here is the official description:

With Martin Scorsese and Jerry Lewis in person
Co-presented with the Comedy Hall of Fame

A true Renaissance man, well recognized as one of the greatest comedians in the history of the field, Jerry Lewis helped define so much of comedy’s vast language as a stand-up performer, actor, producer and writer. Perhaps his greatest innovation was as a filmmaker. Taken together, movies such as The Bellboy, The Ladies Man, The Errand Boy, The Nutty Professor, The Patsy, and The Family Jewels form a breathtaking virtual dictionary of every aspect of what is important and essential to the language of comedic film. His films would help forge the cradle of modern comedies as a separate movement in film, and his seminal book, The Total Film-maker (culled from almost 500 hours of lectures) offers an essential primer for the fledging comedic filmmaker. This unforgettable evening will be moderated by Martin Scorsese and will include clips from Jerry Lewis's films.

For information, click here.  

(Update: Right now, the live event is sold out but there is a standby list. The Museum will also offer a live simulcast screening of the event. Click here for details)  

BY HANK REINEKE

The ninth annual Drive-in Super Monster Rama was staged – as is traditional - on the weekend following Labor Day at the Riverside Drive-in, Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. Inaugurated in 2007, this fiendish gathering of monster-movie insomniacs is tailored to those who cherish the classic horror films of the 1960s and 1970s. It’s a thoughtfully programmed and purposely retro affair; fans get to experience (or re-experience) their favorites as they might have when the movies were new – in the witching hour setting of an authentic neighborhood drive-in theater.

With each passing year the Monster Rama grows steadily in attendance and flourishes in reputation. In 2013 the annual gathering spawned a mid-spring sister event, the April Ghoul’s Drive-in Monster Rama. Co-sponsored from inception by George Reis (of the preeminent cult/horror/exploitation film review website DVD Drive-in) and Todd Ament, the proprietor and projectionist of the Riverside, both weekend events feature eight full-length feature films (almost exclusively from 35mm elements) as well as a dizzying array of vintage trailers, cartoons, shorts, and refreshment stand advertisements.

The September event is proudly the more old-school of the two and this year’s offerings might have been the best yet. On Friday night, September 11, with the weather as near-perfect as one could expect for the season, there was a four-film celebration of American International Picture’s Edgar Allan Poe-film cycle. From 1960 through 1964, director-producer Roger Corman filmed no fewer than eight adaptations of Poe’s work, a remarkable series of visionary and literate motion pictures that brought together such on-screen talent as Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Ray Milland, Barbara Steele, Jack Nicholson, Hazel Court and Basil Rathbone. Of course, it’s without argument that the uncontested big-ticket star of the enterprise was the legendary Vincent Price. The elegant actor with the menacing but sonorous voice would feature in no fewer than seven of the eight Poe films.

Though it’s been nearly twenty-two years since his passing, Vincent Price remains an obvious favorite amongst Monster Rama attendees. The films of this master of the macabre have been well represented at the September event; Price remains the only actor to have at least one – and often several – back catalog films screened at every gathering since launch. So it was to everyone’s delight - and no one’s surprise - that Price would be the featured player in all four of Friday’s films: The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Masque of the Read Death (1963), Tomb of Ligeia (1964), and The Haunted Palace (1963).

Roger Corman’s celebrated cycle of Poe adaptations are, well… exactly that, adaptations. The films are only occasionally literal re-creations of the original source material; mostly they’re brilliant cinematic re-imaginings inspired by the author’s body of macabre work. As a child seeing the films for the first time - in ten minute intervals sandwiched between drain-cleaner commercials on the 4:30 movie - I was disappointed in them. Surely these were costume melodramas and not genuine horror films. Where were the monsters?

Today, as an adult with a half-century’s accumulation of weariness and wisdom, I’ve come to understand that Corman, in the best tradition of Poe, identified the wellspring of terror as something internal. The short stories, novelettes, and poetry that ebbed from the pen of this vanguard of American mystery writing is imbued with a grotesquery that is almost always more psychological than spectral. Corman’s great directorial gift was his canny ability to visually convey the crippling psychological inner-torment of both victim and protagonist.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release: 

July 28th, 2015.  Actor-turned-filmmaker Michael Lee Stever, (Super Force, Broadway; The Golden Age) and revered stage actress and Academy Award nominee Piper Laurie (The Hustler, Twin Peaks, Carrie)  recently joined Scares That Care founder Joe Ripple and his entire team in Williamsburg, Virginia for the second annual Scares That Care Weekend film festival and convention.  

Scares That Care is changing the face of the American film festival, and you can bet things are starting to heat up in a major way.  With hundreds of film festivals and genre events scattered from coast to coast, it's not unreasonable to maintain that the 'festival scene' could use a serious cage shaking and Scares That Care is doing just that.  To date they are one of the only festivals in the United States that are donating all net proceeds to the families of their 2015 Campaign.  Additionally, with this year’s convention, the Heritage Humane Society  will have a booth setup to collect money and items for the animals under their care. A gauntlet hopefully more festivals, and horror conventions might be inspired to pick up.

All of this because Joe Ripple, a retired police detective, was motivated to find a way to raise money for families experiencing medical hardship after witnessing first hand the financial and emotional struggle his partner faced when his 4-year-old-daughter was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

Beloved actress and horror icon Piper Laurie was on hand for a screening of Michael Stever's 2012 documentary short film, 'Resurrecting Carrie.' The doc features Laurie herself as well as a host of other industry professionals who share thoughts on how Stephen King's classic novel, Brian DePalma's legendary film, and Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore's cult hit musical influenced, inspired and helped steer their paths.  A fascinating Q&A with Stever and Laurie followed immediately after the screening.  

Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs) has become one of the most celebrated, respected actors of our time and is the recipient of numerous awards. Originally a product of the early studio contract player system, she finally broke free from stringent, limiting contractual obligations and has proudly helmed a career that has spawned countless iconic roles on stage, in film and on television.  In 2012 she published her much anticipated personal memoir, 'Learning To Live Out Loud' which has garnered raves for its insightful eloquence, wit and blistering candor.

Michael Lee Stever has worked steadily in the business for nearly thirty years. First as an actor, singer and dancer and now as full time filmmaker, cameraman, editor and writer.  His first foray into indie film was as UPM on the critically acclaimed documentary, 'Broadway; The Golden Age.'  He's since produced a handful of engaging documentaries all focusing on various facets of the thriller/horror genre;  'Saturday Nightmares; The Ultimate Horror Expo,' featuring George Romero, Tom Savini & Adrienne Barbeau, 'Jan Broberg's Guide To Thespians, Sociopaths & Scream Queens' featuring Elijah Wood, and most recently 'Heather's Freddy Cut Nightmare' featuring iconic 'Nightmare On Elm Street' heroine, Heather Langencamp.  

Other celebs that appeared at this year's Scares That Care were David Naughton, (American Werewolf in London) Kim Coates, (Sons of Anarchy) Sid Haig, (Jackie Brown) Larry Drake, (Dark man) Ginger Lynn, (The Devil’s Rejects) and many more.  

Piper Laurie and Michael Stever.

Be sure and visit www.scaresthatcareweekend.com to get tickets and learn more about the convention. Visit www.scaresthatcare.org to learn more about the charity itself.  

For press inquiries and interview requests with Stever, Laurie or 'Scares That Care' founder Joe Ripple, contact Stever directly at;

                      MichaelLeeStever@gmail.com   or via cell @ 917 407-8250 

Cinema Retro's London photographer Mark Mawston shows why he's invited to cover the "A" list events. Here, Mark shares some exceptional shots he took on the red carpet at last month's BAFTA awards.

More photos to be posted shortly!

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved. Visit Mark's web site at www.markmawston.com

Julie Walters

Director Mike Leigh

Felicity Jones

Cinema Retro's London photographer Mark Mawston shows why he's invited to cover the "A" list events. Here, Mark shares some exceptional shots he took on the red carpet at last month's BAFTA awards.

More photos to be posted shortly!

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved. Visit Mark's web site at www.markmawston.com

David Beckham

Henry Cavill, who will be seen as Napoleon Solo in the forthcoming "Man From U.N.C.L.E." feature film.

Gugu Mbatah-Raw

WISHING ALL OF OUR READERS WORLDWIDE A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON!

BY MARK CERULLI

On Wednesday night, Hollywood took a step back in time and it was a beautiful thing. Italy’s most glamorous export, the lovely Sophia Loren, made a rare visit to screen two of her films to an adoring crowd at the Dolby Theater. The movie legend was greeted with a standing ovation when she walked out in a shimmering gown, escorted by director Rob Marshall who was clearly in awe of the star he cast in Nine, her last Hollywood film. Settling into two plush seats separated by a mountain of roses, Marshall introduced her as “A woman with a heart as big as all of Italy.” Loren opened up about her life, career and leading men in a 45 minute Q&A, punctuated by frequent laughter and some poignant moments when she remembered how movies offered an escape from the misery of post-WWII Italy.

Loren came across as the most humble of stars – illustrated the moment she stepped onstage when a fan approached from the audience and began speaking directly to her! Loren told the audience she felt she “owed” her fans so much and that she never forgot where she came from, “… Naples and the war and terrible things.” Marshall deftly got the program back on track and Loren was off, talking about starting off as an extra in Quo Vadis, connecting with director Vittorio De Sica who cast her in a number of films which made her a huge star in Italy – attracting the attention of Hollywood (and a 1962 Best Actress Oscar for her role in Two Women, making her the first actress to win for a foreign language performance).

At age 80, Loren showed the style, charm and humor that captivated audiences for over five decades. When Marshall queried her about her leading men, she remembered Cary Grant (her Houseboat co-star) as being “a special person” and Daniel Day Lewis, who worked with her on Nine, as “one of the best alive”. Marlon Brando’s name elicited a dramatic pause – which had the audience laughing. She related how Brando pulled a diva move on the first day of production of A Countess From Hong Kong, showing up hours late to the set. The film’s writer/director, the legendary Charlie Chaplin had some strong words with Brando and from that point on he behaved. She also enjoyed making It Started In Naples with Clark Gable, but remembered he had a watch that would ring at exactly 5 PM every day and then he’d leave. Done. No late hours for him!

(Photos copyright Mark Cerulli. All rights reserved.)

Thankfully, Marshall also brought up the world-famous photo of Loren ogling Jayne Mansfield’s generous cleavage. Loren’s rationale? “I thought everything was gonna fall out.”

One of Loren’s two sons, Edoardo Ponti, came out to introduce The Human Voice, a 26-minute short he directed and co-wrote, based on the 1930 Jean Cocteau play. Ponti’s version features his mother in virtually every scene, delivering a rambling, heartfelt monologue to an unseen lover about to marry another woman. This tour de force would be daunting for a young star, but for a woman on the cusp of 80? Loren crushed it, as they say, exhibiting a wide range of emotion from desperation to giddy delight, proving her acting chops are still gloriously intact. Ponti noted that, “In an age when we idolize the wrong person, tonight it’s the right person.” The crowd agreed.

The short was followed by a restored print of Loren’s 1964 film, Marriage Italian Style, directed by fellow Napolitano, Vittorio De Sica. Loren’s performance earned her a 1965 Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film in 1966.

After more than three hours of film and conversation, Ms. Loren wisely skipped the after-party, no doubt preferring to get her beauty sleep. Who can blame her? Molte Grazie!

Billy Crystal, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Eddy Friedfeld. (Photo © Kevin Parry for the Paley Center for Media)

On July 16^th 2014, Cinema Retro’s Eddy Friedfeld moderated a tribute to the late Sid Caesar with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Billy Crystal at The Paley Center in Beverly Hills, which Rotten Tomatoes called “funny, touching, and illuminating.” The two hour program had Brooks and Reiner sharing stories and recollections of their time onstage and in the fabled Writers Room of Your Show of Shows and Caesars Hour, and Crystal sharing how Caesar influenced him to become a comedian, including a step by step recollection of how he created the legendary Fernando character. For full coverage on the Rotten Tomatoes web site, click here

Cinema Retro's Matt Field and Dave Worrall on the red carpet.

By Matthew Field

Prince Harry headlined an exclusive red carpet event at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, to mark the 50^th anniversary of Zulu – the 1964 epic about the historic 1879 battle at Rorke’s Drift.

Arriving at the cinema, the Prince told Suzannah Endfield Olivier, the daughter of the film's director Cy Endfield, that Zulu was one of his favourite films. 'I watch this film every single year before Christmas time,' he said. 'Maybe once. Maybe twice.'

Matt and Dave with Cinema Retro contributor Paul Adsacks.

Inside and ahead of the film, guests were treated to a screening of rare behind the scenes footage shot on location in South Africa in 1964. Cinema Retro’s Dr. Sheldon Hall, gave the 2,000 strong audience a running commentary to the black and white footage. Film critic Mark Kermode and Historian Dan Snow both addressed the audience giving the film a cultural and historical context.

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who played King Cetshwayo the leader of the Zulus in the film, was also in attendance. He said in a short recorded piece to camera “My portrayal of King Cetshwayo, my maternal great-grandfather, was not only a privilege, but almost inevitable once the idea was conceived. Cy Endfield and Sir Stanley Baker came to see me at KwaPhindangene to request my assistance in enlisting the thousands of extras for the Zulu regiments and the part of King Cetshwayo. But when Endfield saw me, he was struck by the family resemblance, and persuaded me to play the role myself.”

The Choir of the 1^st Battalion Welsh Guards performed Men of Harlech on stage before a specially filmed message from Michael Caine. The event benefited three very worthy charities - Walking With The Wounded, The David Rattray Memorial Trust and Sentebale.

Zulu actor Dickie Owen and Henry Coleman a historian of the film who supplied rare footage. Henry also runs a Zulu web site that can be accessed by clicking here.

Finally the audience enjoyed the gorgeous 50^th anniversary digitally restored print of the film. As the lights came up, we began talking to an elderly gentleman sitting next to us, only to discover, he was in fact 88 year old actor Dickie Owen, who played Corporal Schiess in the film. In all, a memorable commemoration of a very memorable British film classic.

Lorcan Otway, owner of the legendary New York theater, starts off the festivities.

Actress Arlene Dahl ("Journey to the Center of the Earth") introduces Alan Cumming.

Alan prepares to be "immortalized" in cement for the theater's walk of fame.

On Monday night, Cinema Retro was invited to attend a private party in honor of actor Alan Cumming at New York's legendary and quirky Theatre 80 St. Marks on St. Marks Place. The venue has its own mini "walk of fame" that dates back many decades. The Theatre/bar also houses the Museum of the American Gangster, as it once had a sordid history that included a gangland rubout. Alan Cumming graciously signed the cement block, having been introduced by the theater's owner Lorcan Otway and actress Arlene Dahl. After the party, everyone thundered to the famed bar, where plenty of good brews and live Irish music (and Irish whiskey) rounded out the evening. (Alan Cumming is currently reprising his Tony Award-winning role in Cabaret on Broadway.) 

If you are in New York and would like to visit Theatre 80 St. Marks, click here for info.

(All photos copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

By Lee Pfeiffer

There are precious few things in life that reach the status of absolute perfection. Off-hand I can think of three:

1. A top notch Cuban cigar.

2. A wee-small hours meal in a New Jersey White Castle.

3. Any performance by the New York Philharmonic.

Last night, I had the opportunity to cover the latter for Cinema Retro, as the Philharmonic, under the direction of the esteemed conductor David Newman, presented a magnificent tribute to the music of the Pixar animated film classics. The event took place at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City and was the latest production in the legendary orchestra's tie-ins to major motion pictures. Last year, I reported on the Philharmonic's similar celebration of the films of Alfred Hitchcock. (Click here for coverage)  However, the Pixar event was even more impressive. My one gripe with the Hitchcock event was that the film clips included dialogue which distracted from the fact that a live orchestra was providing the background music. Obviously those concerns were shared by others because the clips used in the Pixar tribute were silent, thus allowing the full impact of the magical music scores to be appreciated. 

David Newman addressed the packed auditorium prior to the concert and gave some fascinating insights into his family's long ties with film compositions. His father, Alfred Newman, was one of the most acclaimed movie composers of all time, having been accorded an astonishing 45 Oscar nominations and 9 wins. David is a noted film composer in his own right, his brother Thomas has been nominated for 12 Oscars and cousin Randy Newman has been nominated for 16 Oscars and won twice. It's doubtful there will ever be such a family legacy again in the course of motion picture history. David Newman's enthusiasm for the event was evident. He put his heart and soul into the performance. Drenched with sweat but clearly brimming with family pride, he provided an encore of Randy Newman's classic "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the original "Toy Story". It brought down the house. Kudos also to the editing team that so painstakingly put together the film clip montages that perfectly accompanied the scores. In all, there were selections from "Toy Story", "Finding Nemo", "Ratatouille", "A Bug's Life", "WALL-E", "Toy Story 2", "Cars", "Up", "The Incredibles", "Monsters, Inc.", "Cars 2", "Toy Story 3", "Brave" and "Monsters University". All but five of these scores were written by Randy or Thomas Newman. Four of the remaining scores were written by Michael Giacchino, with the score for the Scottish-themed "Brave" composed by Patrick Doyle. (There was a bagpiper brought out on stage to perform with the Philharmonic for themes from this film.)

We've written frequently about the fact that most contemporary movies lack memorable film scores. Composers are treated today like necessary evils rather than valued contributors to the finished movie. Often, they are brought on board after the movie has been completed and given an abbreviated time table to knock out a score. Compare that to the old days when composers were viewed as integral members of the production team who were often scoring sequences while the movie was still in production. The Pixar films still provide high profile presentations of major composer's work. Hearing these superb scores played by one of the world's greatest orchestras was a truly thrilling experience. Even more pleasing was the fact that there were many children in attendance. What better way could there be to illustrate to a young person the the contributions of musical scores to films?

The concerts opened last night and run tonight and tomorrow, May 3. Do not hesitate to attend if you possibly can. (Click here for ticket info) 

Now I have to get those two other "perfect" things in life, so I'll have to track down a Cuban cigar while I head off to a White Castle here in Jersey.  

By Lee Pfeiffer

It's getting harder to indulge in the annual ritual of eviscerating the Oscar ceremonies as boring and ineptly staged. As Cinema Retro readers may know, in recent years I have been among the few critics who have defended the staging of most of the telecasts. They certainly are lengthy but, with the exception of one or two ceremonies, most have been creatively staged and well-paced. Last evening's presentation of the 86th annual Oscar awards held true to that trend. Host Ellen DeGeneres, returning after a seven year absence, was genuinely funny and kept the action rolling at a brisk clip even though the show went a half-hour over its allocated three hour time slot. DeGeneres also worked surprisingly clean with the only tasteless joke made at the expense of a virtually unrecognizable Liza Minnelli. DeGeneres infused the often stuffy ceremonies with a sense of -dare I say it?- gayety. Her mood was infectious with the crowd and it became immediately apparent that even the losers were having a hell of a great time. If DeGeneres overdid any angle, it was working the audience- literally. She spent so much time running amidst the star-packed audience that it began to resemble an old "Stump the Band" segment on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Some of this schtick worked better than others but DeGeneres' gamble on having pizzas delivered to the cavernous auditorium went over very well. Good thing, too...it was a risky gag that, if it had not been successful, the result would have been cringe-inducing. Similarly, DeGeneres put together an impromptu star-packed "selfie" of superstars that resulted in her meeting her goal of making this the most "Tweeted" photo ever.The ceremony was rather awkwardly built around an ill-defined theme of screen heroes. This resulted in a padded running time as montages of clips of famous screen heroes were shown. They were fun to watch but the segments were rather pointless as we watched disjointed examples of cinematic bravery that ranged from The Terminator to Atticus Fitch, James Bond and Batman.

The ceremony continued to the trend of having major stars show up to support the Oscars. Some years ago, it was considered chic not to attend. But last night featured a powerhouse lineup that included most of the nominees as well as genuine legends like Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford and even Kim Novak, who emerged from self-imposed exile. It was also great to see a true icon, Sidney Poiter (frail, but dignified), on stage fifty years after his ground-breaking Oscar win for Lilies of the Field. Bette Midler, looking better than ever, rendered a wonderful rendition of The Wind Beneath My Wings following the always-moving memorial film clip montage of all the great artists we have lost in the last year.  Pink appeared on stage to sing a lovely version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow in tribute to the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. It was a beautifully staged segment that was made all the more poignant by the presence in the audience of Judy Garland's daughters. The four Best Song nominees were well-staged including a soulful performance by U-2 that couldn't quite compensate for the fact that most of the songs were merely pleasant, but hardly memorable.  A seemingly ageless Jim Carrey did a dead-on imitation of nominee Bruce Dern in the 1972 film The Cowboys. Sally Field made a presentation and looked wonderfully elegant. The Oscar winner's speeches seemed classier and more heartfelt this year. Jared Leto, winner of Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club, gave a very moving speech that seemed to set a trend in which several Oscar winners took pains to thank their moms, a nice gesture that was enhanced by the fact that some of those moms were in the audience. Lupita Nyongo'o's speech showed sheer, sincere exuberance at having won, in contrast to some of the more pretentious "surprise" moments shown by some winners in previous years. Cate Blanchett's win for Blue Jasmine was well-deserved but her heartfelt speech droned on so long that one thought she would acknowledge every person in the Sydney phone book. John Ridley, winner for Best Adapted Screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, was quite moving in thanking a mentor who gave him solid advice throughout his years as a screenwriter. Matthew McConaughey reined in his eccentric behavior and gave a rambling but still inspiring acceptance speech after winning Best Actor for his triumphant performance in Dallas Buyers Club.

As for the prizes themselves, virtually all were justified. Surprises were few and included Spike Jonez winning for Best Original Screenplay for the little-seen comedy Her and Alfonso Curaon winning Best Director for Gravity but seeing his film lose Best Picture to 12 Years a Slave. American Hustle became the third film in Oscar history (along with Gangs of New  York and the remake of True Grit) to score ten nominations only to end up being shut out.

In all, a solid evening of classy entertainment...and here's hoping Ms. DeGeneres is up for hosting next year.

Click here for complete list of winners

The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts will present "An Evening with Jerry Lewis" on March 15. The comedy legend will appear on stage for two performances on that date. Click here for more details and to view film clips of the show.  

Cinema Retro's London photographer Mark Mawston is always on the "A" list when it comes to covering top entertainment events. Mark provides these remarkable candid photos from the BAFTA red carpet arrivals.

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved. For more about Mark's work, visit www.markmawston.com)

American Hustlers Christian Bale, David O. Russell and Bradley Cooper.

Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and girlfriend Sari Mercer.

Director Steve McQueen and wife.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Jennifer Lawrence, Best Supporting Actress winner for American Hustle.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts held their annual awards ceremony earlier tonight. The big winner was Gravity, though a wide range of other acclaimed movies picked up key awards.

Click here for complete list of winners.  

Click here for full analysis from Deadline.com  

David McCallum with event host Bruce Crawford. (Photo: Steve Gray)

By Jon Heitland

On any list of the best films based on World War II, The Great Escape, directed by John Sturges and based on the novel by Paul Brickhill, will always rank near the top. The compelling story of a group of British and American prisoners of war and how they outwitted their Nazi captors observes its 50^th anniversary this year, and actor David McCallum, who plays Ashley-Pitt in the film, travelled to Omaha, Nebraska on November 9, 2013, to help celebrate the classic film. Proceeds went to the Nebraska Kidney Foundation, which was why McCallum took time from his busy television schedule to make an appearance. The evening event centered around a showing of the film at the large, concert-style theater at the prestigious Joslyn Museum, to an enthusiastic, full house crowd of 1000.

The Great Escape 50 year retrospective was another in a long running series of film tributes organized by Omaha film historian and documentary producer Bruce Crawford, who, since 1992, has produced similar events for other classic films, with major sponsorship from Jerry and Patti Gress. Crawford is a lifelong lover of cinema, and his retrospectives include appearances by the film’s stars or director to share their recollections with an appreciative audience. Crawford has also produced two radio documentaries on classic film composers, including Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Psycho, Taxi Driver, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Vertigo, North By Northwest, etc.) and Miklos Rozsa (El Cid, Quo-Vadis, Julius Caesar, King of Kings, and Ben-Hur).

His past film retrospectives have included a tribute to special effects legend, Ray Harryhausen, with screenings of Mysterious Island, and Jason and the Argonauts in 1992; a 35th anniversary screening of Ben-Hur with director William Wyler's family as special guests in 1993; and The Longest Day, with director Ken Annakin and the family of producer Darryl F. Zanuck in 1994. In subsequent years he honored Alfred Hitchcock with a showing of Psycho, with Janet Leigh and her daughter Kelly as honored guests; Gone With The Wind with Ann Rutherford; and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, with Frank Capra, Jr.

For The Great Escape event, local World War II re-enactors appeared in uniform along with a local modeling club’s display of vintage model planes from the era, along with a model of a prisoner of war camp. Attendees particularly enjoyed a motorcycle identical to that ridden by Steve McQueen in the film when he tries to jump a barbed wire fence to elude German soldiers. A United States Postal Service commemorative envelope for the 50^th anniversary of The Great Escape was also unveiled, featuring scenes from the film involving both McCallum and Steve McQueen.

Commemorative envelop by the artist Nicolosi.

In introducing the film, McCallum recalled how he got the acting “bug” at a young age: “My life as an actor started when I was about 10 years old. I did a scene from King John, from Shakespeare, as a very small prince in the tower, and there this jailer with a red hot poker is about to put out his eye, and he pleaded for his life. I did this in a very small theater in a church, and at the end I got a standing ovation. The scene got a standing ovation, but I assumed it was for me. At that moment I realized I had come home, I had found the place where I was going to be for the rest of my life.”

Memorabilia display (Photo: Jon Heitland)

McCallum, a native Scot, was the son of professional classical musicians, his father David, Sr., first violinist for the London Philharmonic, his mother Dorothy a cellist. Young David took up the oboe at age eight, and attended the Royal Academy of Music for a time, but he left school at age 15 to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for two years to become an actor. He then went into repertory theater, but that was interrupted when he was conscripted into the National Service. McCallum recalled “I became second in command of C company, Third Battalion of the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force.” McCallum noted with pride this unit distinguished itself earlier in World War II because of the enemy lines of communication it captured, adding “I mention this because the wonderful thing about being in the British army is you learn how to put the uniform on, how to march, how to salute, and that all came in very useful later on, on several occasions, The Great Escape being one of them.”

(Photo: Steve Gray)

After leaving the army, McCallum did a lot of television in Great Britain, with an occasional movie role in such films as The Long, The Short And The Tall, with Laurence Harvey; Billy Budd, directed by Peter Ustinov; and Freud with Montgomery Clift, directed by John Huston. It was while filming Freud that McCallum met director John Sturges, who would remember him later when casting The Great Escape. Sturges had directed Bad Day At Black Rock, in 1955, one of McCallum’s favorite films. Sturges had also directed the iconic western The Magnificent Seven, in 1960, which starred Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn, three of the stars he would feature in The Great Escape, along with Robert Vaughn, McCallum’s future co-star on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Upon being cast as Ashley-Pitt in The Great Escape, McCallum remembered “When I arrived on set, John Sturges, the director, gave me a letter, and in the letter it said ‘Let us know what you want, do you need a babysitter, where would you like to live, would you like a car, would you like a driver?’ Which was welcoming in a way which I never thought possible.” McCallum noted he had not done a major Hollywood type movie before, and he appreciated the respect and care with which the cast was treated.

On the set of The Great Escape, McCallum stated the cast all got along well, although they formed small social groups for their off time: “We had a wonderful time together. The Germans went off with the Germans, and the British went off with the British, and I went off with Donald Pleasance., who was a good friend of mine.” McCallum soon also became friends with James Garner, as most of Donald Pleasence’s scenes were with Garner. The three men remained friends from then on. McCallum did not see much of Steve McQueen, who played one of his most remembered roles in the form of Hilts, the cocky American flier whose motorcycle escape has become a classic sequence, because for many of the ensemble scenes, McQueen’s character was in the “cooler”.

McCallum also enjoyed the fact his wife, actress Jill Ireland, and son Paul were with him during the filming, and they would sight see on his days off in Starnberg, Germany. His mother also visited the set, and McCallum drove her around Austria. Another member of the Great Escape cast, Charles Bronson, also became lifelong friends with David McCallum, their friendship even surviving McCallum’s divorce from Ireland and her later marriage to Bronson. McCallum has been happily married to his wife Kathy Carpenter since the 1960s.

Although most attendees were interested in re-experiencing the inspiring film, many were there to meet McCallum, popular today for his role of Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on televisions’s N.C.I.S., as well as a substantial contingent who fondly remembered him as Illya Kuryakin, the enigmatic Russian spy on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. from 1964 to 1968. McCallum as Illya created a sensation at the time, resulting in mob scenes and rock star-like status for McCallum.

The experience of being a “sex symbol”, especially for teen age girls, caught McCallum by surprise at the time. His character was originally intended to be a a sidekick to Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo, but quickly became a co-star that helped make the series a hit in the 1960s and a lasting icon in popular culture. Many of those teen age girls, now in their 50s and 60s, stood in line after the film to meet McCallum and get an autograph, which the 80 year old actor graciously supplied to about 300 attendees anxious to meet him, finishing just before midnight. He also enjoyed seeing a large display of Man From U.N.C.L.E. memorabilia featuring his image at the event supplied by this writer, a fan from Iowa and author of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book: The Behind The Scenes Story of a Television Classic.

McCallum and Cinema Retro's Jon Heitland in front of a display of Man From U.N.C.L.E. memorabilia. (Photo: Mike Beacom)

Today McCallum, besides appearing on N.C.I.S., also does voice over work on video games, which he describes as a wonderful opportunity to over act. He commutes regularly from Los Angeles back to New York City to see his family. He looks forward to raising a glass of wine to another 50^th anniversary next year, the golden anniversary of the premiere of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

In concluding his remarks on The Great Escape to the appreciative audience, McCallum emotionally recalled that the cast first saw the film when it premiered in London at the Odeon Leicester Square Cinema (the scene of many later James Bond premieres): “The balcony seats had been reserved for the cast. I sat down in my seat, not knowing what to expect. And for the very first time, as the curtain parted, and the music of Elmer Bernstein came up, I watched that film. And I will never, ever, forget that moment.”

PHOTOS:

Steve Gray http://stevegray.zenfolio.com/p322117469 srgray@cox.net

Michael Beacom

Jon Heitland

Barbara Feldon and Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer at the Episcopal Actors Guild in New York City.

On November 21, Cinema Retro hosted an Evening With Barbara Feldon at the historic Episcopal Actors Guild in New York City. The event benefited indigent people in the arts. Ms. Feldon was interviewed by Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer, who asked her about her career prior to her Emmy-nominated performance in "Get Smart". She revealed that she had come to New York as a young woman from her native Pittsburgh with the desire to enter show business. Good looking and statuesque, Feldon was soon hired for a three month stint as a chorus girl at the famed Copacabana. She said it was the most thrilling time of her life, to be young and in New York with unlimited possibilities before her. Shortly thereafter, she became one of the top fashion models of the era, which- in turn- led her to be the face of Revlon in print and on TV ads. Those ads helped elevate her status and brought her to the attention of Hollywood producers. She played some bit roles in TV series before the producers of "Get Smart" (created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry) approached her for the role of Agent "99" opposite Don Adams. She initially turned down the offer, as she already had a lucrative career in modeling. She had also been offered a plum role in Sidney Lumet's film "The Group". She credits her agent at the time for convincing her to accept the part of "99" on the basis that Candice Bergen had the prime role in the Lumet film because she played a lesbian, which was a sensational notion at the time. He cautioned Feldon that she would just be lumped in with the other talented actresses who were to appear in the film and that Bergen would get all the attention. She accepted his advice and reluctantly flew to Hollywood, leaving behind her beloved New York. She immediately knew she made the right decision. The friendly bond between cast and crew on "Get Smart" was addictive and she said the show was a pleasure from day one. She credited Buck Henry for setting the tone of the early episodes, as Mel Brooks had already departed to work on his first feature film, "The Producers". After viewing a screening of the "Satan Place" episode with Cinema Retro's own Joe Sirola as the villain, Feldon remarked at how well the writing held up. Amusingly, she said she still feels self-conscious about how she towered over the much-shorter Don Adams and was reminded of how she attempted to minimize the height difference by slumping a bit in their scenes together or finding an excuse to sit down. Feldon said that when the show's ratings fell in the fourth season and the show moved from NBC to CBS for the fifth and final season, the idea of marrying "99" and Maxwell Smart was done simply as a gimmick, as was the introduction of their twin children who she laughingly said "disappeared rather quickly". Feldon also discussed the fact that the character of "99" was one of the first independent female characters on television. Pfeiffer mentioned that there were precious few such role models aside from Emma Peel and Cathy Gale of "The Avengers" and April Dancer of "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E". Feldon agreed, saying that she was happy that "99" was given more to do than simply being "the skirt" but said that, even then, it was clear that her character was often there to comfort or console the male hero, Maxwell Smart. She said, however, that given this was before the Women's Lib movement, it was rather progressive for the medium of television. 

Feldon signs a commemorative shoe phone for contributing Cinema Retro photographer Tom Stroud.

Feldon said that, despite working with Adams for years, she knew very little about his personal life. It was only when they reunited for the TV movie "Get Smart Again!" in 1989 that they truly bonded and became close friends until Adams' death in 2005. Asked about why she didn't appear in the rather anemic "Get Smart" 1980 feature film, "The Nude Bomb", she said bluntly that she simply hadn't been asked. She said she was philosophical about the snub, saying that they were obviously looking for younger women to play against Adams. Pfeiffer asked Feldon to reflect on the contributions of Edward Platt, whose spot-on performance as "The Chief" is often overlooked in evaluations of the show. She said he played an integral part in the show's success and was a truly lovely man who was also a trained professional opera singer. She also discussed her post-"Smart" career when she wrote and performed a one woman show because she thought her acting skills might be getting stale and wanted a challenge that would "terrify" her. She also spoke about her lucrative career as one of New York's top voice-over talents. Speaking of feature films, she said that, at the time, being a TV star had made it difficult to transfer into theatrical films, although she loved working with Dick Van Dyke on the 1968 Disney film "Fitzwilly" and was especially pleased to star with Bruce Dern in the acclaimed 1975 comedy "Smile". She also spoke about how, after a failed marriage and relationships, she came to the conclusion that people don't need committed relationships in order to find happiness. She said her book, "Living Alone & Loving It: A Guide to Relishing the Solo Life", extols the virtues of living an independent life. She said living alone doesn't mean you are living a lonely life. She said her life is filled with wonderful people and great times, but she has chosen not to engage in a monogamous relationship. 

"...and loving it!" Barbara expresses her appreciation to "Get Smart" scholar Nate Sears for flying in from Utah for the event.

Cinema Retro reader Tony Latino with Barbara Feldon.

Prior to the event, Barbara Feldon was interviewed for ABC News Radio by film critic Bill Diehl.

Following the interview, Ms. Feldon graciously answered questions, signed autographs and posed for seemingly endless photos with fans. She said she was genuinely touched by the fact that so many people still take an interest in her work. In all, a fun and informative evening with the ultimate New York "independent woman"- who still cites her three month stint as a chorus girl as the most fulfilling time of her career.  

(Click here to find out how to join the Episcopal Actors Guild, which is non-sectarian. Dues are only $35 annually and you will get invitations to many exclusive entertainment-related performances and events. Proceeds go to aid charitable causes relating to the arts.)

(Click here to order Barbara Feldon's book "Living Alone & Loving It" from Amazon)  

Director Nicholas Ray's 1955 classic Rebel Without a Cause has been restored by Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation. Cinema Retro L.A. correspondent Mark Cerulli attended the recent premiere. Here is his report:

On November 1^st, Warner Bros. unveiled a loving restoration of the James Dean classic, Rebel Without A Cause at a special screening at the Los Angeles Museum of Art. The project was funded by the Italian fashion house Gucci, which also threw a cocktail party at LACMA’s Japanese Pavilion before the show. Their party was attended by some of LA’s glitterati including actress Camilla Belle and original Rebel cast member Jack Grinnage (“Moose”).

Premiere cocktail party. (Photo copyright Mark Cerulli. All rights reserved.)

Since this restoration was supported by Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, the director was supposed to introduce the film personally. Work commitments kept him elsewhere, but he came up with a crowd pleasing last minute substitute – his frequent collaborator, Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor seemed relaxed and genuinely excited to be there as he read Scorsese’s statement about how the film was instrumental in fostering his interest in and love of movies – especially its palette of rich and vivid colors. (And unlike most celebrity presenters who duck out of events as soon as the lights go down, DiCaprio took an aisle seat and stayed for the entire film!)

DiCaprio introduces the restored movie classic. (Photo copyright Mark Cerulli. All rights reserved.)

It goes without saying that the film looked and sounded spectacular. The colors popped and Dean’s iconic screen presence, Natalie Wood’s fragile beauty and Sal Mineo’s haunting performance all came across as poignantly as they did on the day of release in 1955. According to Scorsese in the premiere program, “the original color negative was scanned at 8K resolution” and the sound had to be digitally sourced and cleaned from the original release print.

Although the film came out of director Nicholas Ray’s wish to portray “young people growing up”, it remains a timeless snapshot of 1950s America and a showcase for the raw power of James Dean.

A couple of years ago we met director Tom Donohue and his colleagues, who were in the beginning stages of their documentary Casting By, which explores the generally neglected contributions of casting directors to major motion pictures. In the ensuing months, Tom and his team have interviewed a remarkable number of prominent directors, actors and producers for their film including Woody Allen, Robert Duvall,  Robert Redford, Al Pacino, Robert De NiroMartin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood. The film, which is being touted as a strong Oscar contender, has just opened theatrically in New York. Additionally, Woody Allen, who generally keeps a low profile, was inspired by the film to write an open letter to the movie industry extolling the virtues of casting directors. (To read the letter click here)

Here is a synopsis and play dates for the film:

"Casting is 95% of directing a picture," Martin Scorsese says at the start of Casting By, a "scintillating (THR)", fascinating (NYT)" and "wildly entertaining"(Indiewire) look at an important and vastly under-appreciated craft that will never let you look at movies quite the same way again. Director Tom Donahue focuses his lens on the pioneering contributions of Casting Director Marion Dougherty whose keen eye and gut instincts almost singlehandedly created a profession from the ashes of a dying studio system and helped give birth to the golden era of the New Hollywood. The film combines "the greatest assemblage of talking-head star power in any documentary ever made" (Back Stage) with a rich treasure trove of archival to craft a fun and revealing journey through the last half century of Hollywood. "More than a must-see. It’s a brisk, breezy, enjoyable and often endearing experience." -Film School Rejects

By Lee Pfeiffer 

Last evening I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the New York Philharmonic's tribute to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. The unique two-night event at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center had commenced on Tuesday with an evening hosted by Alec Baldwin (who helped conceive of the tribute's format.) Last evening, the closing night's performance was hosted by Sam Waterson, who provided insights into the films chosen for inclusion and the composers who created the memorable scores. Under the banner The Art of the Score, master conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos lead orchestra in a presentation of flawlessly performed original music from specific Hitchcock films in synch with dialogue from the film clips shown. It's an impressive feat, given the fact that being off timing by a mere second could wreak havoc on the concept. The film scores honored were To Catch a Thief (Lyn Murray), Vertigo  (Bernard Herrmann), Strangers on a Train (Dimitri Tiomkin), Dial M for Murder (Tiomkin), North By Northwest (Herrmann) and Hitchcock's amusing signature theme, Funeral March of a Marionette which was composed by Charles Gounod in 1872. The entire main title sequences of each film were shown as the orchestra performed the themes. The effect was truly wonderful, with both Kitsopoulos and the orchestra in top form. One became even more aware of how vital Hitchcock's composers were to the quality of his films. What struck me is how such unabashedly lush and often romantic scores have been relegated to the past in today's film industry in which composers are relegated to the status of necessary evils. The work of these masters will be performed for generations after today's largely nondescript film scores have long been forgotten. The strongest part of the performance came after the intermission with particularly effective sequences and music from Dial M for Murder and North By Northwest having a mesmerizing effect on the audience. You could have heard a pin drop. The latter film, which boasts what is arguably Herrmann's greatest score, seemed to be the performance that resonated most with the audience. The concept of having dialogue included in the film clips did not sit well with everyone. My wife, for example, felt that the magnificence of the orchestra was undermined by the inclusion of dialogue in the clips. She maintained that the orchestra was so flawless that the viewer lost sight of the fact that it was a live performance and not simply the original soundtrack being played on celluloid.  The Gounod piece, for example, was presented over silent home movies of Hitchcock. The concept could have worked brilliantly but someone diluted the impact by inter-cutting snippets of the trailer from North By Northwest in which Hitchcock makes amusing witticisms about world travel. It might well be more effective if future presentations designed along similar lines presented the film clips without the dialogue and perhaps inter-cut them with still images so that the full effect of the orchestra could resonate even better with audience. Nevertheless, any evening at Avery Fisher Hall is a special occasion and this was a masterful tribute to a master director. 

Veering off topic for a bit, I do have to be a bit of a grouch, though it has nothing to do with the venue or the orchestra. Rather, it concerns the behavior of audience members. True, they sat in rapt attention during the entire performance. However, at the end of the program, the maestro had barely lowered his baton before a quarter of the audience scrambled for the exit doors, like the sequence in Hitchcock's Torn Curtain in which a false alarm about a fire causes pandemonium. There was a time when audience members would be too ashamed to leave such a grand performance before the orchestra even took its first bow. Just how important is it to get the first cab or get to the parking lot before anyone else? This trend is nothing new. I've noticed it at Broadway plays. Half the audience is gone before the applause even kicks in at the finale. We all know New Yorkers are perpetually in a hurry but there was a time when a sense of manners and decorum would have trumped their impatience. The audience members who remained to applaud seemed to go out of their way to compensate for those who jumped ship early. I dunno. I guess its a sign of the times. In an era when people look to the casts of Jersey Shore and Duck Dynasty for their role models, it's no surprise we're not seeing the likes of Noel Coward sitting next to us in the audience. Their rudeness and lack of courtesy may not have been intended as a slap in the face of the brilliant artists who performed last night, but the result was the same. 

TCM's Dennis Adamovich, Robert Osborne and Jane Powell initiate the formal launch of the TCM Classic Film Tour. (Photo: Turner Classic Movies).

By Lee Pfeiffer

In true Hollywood style, it was an offer I couldn't refuse: an invitation from Turner Classic Movies to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and inaugural roll out of the TCM Classic Film Tour of New York city movie locations.  This event, which took place on August 20, was restricted to the media and invited guests. TCM host Robert Osborne was there to greet everyone along with a Hollywood legend, Jane Powell, who was clearly delighted to participate. Osborne and Powell used giant scissors to cut the ribbon on the bus, which is distinctively branded with the network's logo (and appropriately enough, the ultimate New York City "big" star, King Kong). Joining them was Dennis Adamovich, Senior VP of Brand Digital Activation and the guru behind the Turner Classic Movies Film Festivals. Once aboard the bus, we were treated to what the average attendee will experience on the tour. There is a video greeting by Robert Osborne and a knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide (in this case, an impressive young lady named Roseanne who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the NY film locations.) There is an abundance of film clips pertaining to the various sites on the tour. The bus does make several stops to allow attendees to disembark for photo opts. These include the famed Dakota apartments where Rosemary's Baby was filmed (and where John Lennon was tragically murdered), the 59th Street Bridge where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton filmed an iconic scene for Manhattan, Holly Golightly's apartment from Breakfast at Tiffanys, the subway grate where Marilyn Monroe posed for the famed "up skirt" photo from "The Seven Year Itch" , the famed Zabar's market where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan encounter each other in You've Got Mail and, concluding the tour, Grand Central Station, site of many a film shoot including classic scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest. Even an old movie history war horse like myself was humbled by the fact that I could learn so many new facts about these classic films. The tours, which begin operating today for the general public, are three hours in duration and leave from 51st Street and Broadway. Locations are concentrated on the uptown neighborhoods but go as far south as the Empire State Building.

TCM host Robert Osborne with Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer. (Photo: copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved)

The 59th Street Bridge, the "star" of an iconic scene in Woody Allen's Manhattan and the inspiration for a classic song by Simon and Garfunkel. (Photo: copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

Other film locations that play major or minor backdrops for popular movies include those seen in  Plaza Suite, Coogan's Bluff, Live and Let Die, The Apartment, Arthur, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, Network, West Side Story, The Out of Towners, The Sunshine Boys, Ghostbusters, The Producers, Serpico, Annie Hall, Moonstruck, The Way We Were, Crocodile Dundee, Big, Superman, the Eddy Duchin Story, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town, Baby Boom, Weekend at the Waldorf, My Man Godfrey, Hannah and Her Sisters, Midnight Cowboy, Barefoot in the Park, Nothing Sacred, Miracle in the Rain and many more. Much use  is made of classic film clips showing many of these movies, with emphasis on the 1949 MGM classic On the Town, especially in Columbus Circle where Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin made merry (the original subway entrance and news stand are still intact).

Holly Golightly's apartment from Breakfast at Tiffany's is a residential address today. (Photo: copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

The Dakota apartments where Rosemary's Baby was filmed- and where John Lennon met his tragic end. (Photo: copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

Tour guide Roseanne shows the subway grating where Marilyn Monroe shot publicity stills for The Seven Year Itch. Roseanne informed us that the sequence for the film was shot here but was later redone in the studio. However, the iconic images of Monroe on the New York street still resonate with movie fans worldwide. (Photo: copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

There is another value to the tour that extends beyond Hollywood history- and that is the fascinating facts and anecdotes pertaining to how the city itself has changed over the years (and in some cases, remained consistent in terms of film locations.) On Location Tours, which runs the service in conjunction with TCM, also provides trivia questions on the monitors so that attendees can compete for prizes. (This is used as a pleasant way to kill time in case the bus becomes embedded in one of Gotham's notorious traffic jams.)

In all, this is a marvelous treat for both casual movie fans and die-hard TCM viewers. Tickets are $43 for adults, $27 for children. Click here to book tickets and get more info about the tour.  

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Brompton Cemetary, one of the unique locations for screenings of cult and classic movies.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release: 

London:  Lights, camera, action! A new popup cinema website, designed to provide easy access to the best of London’s popup cinema events, has launched.

The site,  www.WeGotPopup.com, will finally offer a one-stop shop for all London’s Popup cinema needs.  It will list a wide range of London’s freshest film experiences, from a seat on a 1930s riverboat down the Thames bound for an Elizabethan manor house screening, to getting lost in Camden’s Coram Secret Garden on the back of Falkor the Luckdragon.

Producing these unique experiences for film lovers are… the popup film barons Cult Screens, Pop Up Screens, The Nomad and Rooftop Film Club alongside The Lucky Dog Picture House,Matrix Grimsby, The East Dulwich Tavern, Bloomsbury Lanes, Roadside Picnic, Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, and Boughton House whose events will all be listed on the site.

The screenings can be cross-referenced by date, title and most importantly, distance from where you are currently sitting. (prepare to add at least 2 points to your 'cool ranking').

WeGotPopUp.com will be (ahem) “popping up” for a limited four-month window, arriving just in time to provide film fans with all the information and easy access to often elusive events. So log-on, explore, and click your way to a popup packed summer.

The portal was the brainchild of ticketing experts WeGotTickets, who have ticketed weird and wonderful one-off events since 2000, offering tickets for the UK’s original popup supper clubs and cinema.  WeGotTickets has ticketed over a thousand of these – from Films on Fridges, where a white goods wonderland took over a recycling-plant-turned-Olympic-Park, to a popup feast night at a hidden Cornwall beach hut.  Not to mention screenings at abandoned petrol stations, under bridges, at lidos, and of course…on rooftops.

Said Kate Pelen, Design and Communications Manager, The Nomad Cinema "There has been really healthy growth in popup cinema events over the past few years, with audiences increasingly on the look-out for a unique and memorable way to enjoy their favourite film, or discover something totally new in a different environment.

“That's why WeGotPopup is such a great idea, allowing customers to search all the best pop-up providers for their favourite film or venue all in one place. We're sure this new venture will be a great success as the WeGotTickets team are a very determined and hard-working bunch of people with a great attitude and a reputation to match.''

WeGotTickets keep tickets paperless, fees low and completely transparent – regularly working with and donating a percentage of their booking fees back to a variety of charities.

About WeGotTickets

WeGotTickets is the UK’s leading paperless ticketing agency. Launched in 2002, WeGotTickets works with thousands of event organisers placing it in the top five ticket agencies in the UK.

WeGotTickets has made it possible for organisers of events of all shapes and sizes to benefit from advance ticket sales, and now sells close to a million tickets a year; from popup cinema, art events and underground restaurants to traditional live music and comedy shows and festivals.

Since its launch, WeGotTickets has consistently pushed for innovation, transparency and best practice across the ticketing industry, with many of the company’s ideas becoming standard industry practice.

The company’s 10% maximum ticket commission rate has helped to lower fees across the business, whilst its pioneering paperless ticketing system has been a major factor in reducing the live music industry’s carbon footprint.

Over the years WeGotTickets has been proud to work on a number of special campaigns with charities such as Oxfam, Macmillan, ActionAid and Warchild, and regularly donates a percentage of their booking fees back to these groups. In 2009 the company launched a unique feature allowing ticket buyers to quickly and easily make a donation to a featured charity whilst purchasing tickets, which has raised tens of thousands of pounds for those charities.

WeGotTickets is now proud to be a full member of STAR (Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers) and is fully behind the organisation’s new fraud prevention kite mark.

www.WeGotTickets.com.

Forthcoming screenings include:

DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB – 10^th July (Bussey Building)

Psycho – 14^th July (Queen of Hoxton)

Easy Rider – 22^nd July (Queen of Hoxton)

My Night at Maud’s – 15^th August (East Dulwich Tavern)

“How Do You View” is the name of a new Internet radio show hosted by Cinema Epoch’s Director of Acquisitions, Douglas Dunning.  The show can be heard daily at 1:00 am, 5:30 am, 11:00 am & 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (that’s 4:00 am, 8:30 am, 2:00 pm, and 8:00 pm to us on the Eastern Seaboard). It can be heard on the Prodigy Media Network. This week, Mr. Dunning interviews director Richard Rush (pictured), best known for 1980’s The Stunt Man.

Click here to listen to “How Do You View” at the respective times.

(Photo: Thomas Hauerslev)

By Bruce Campbell 

Over four days the 2013 Bradford Widescreen Festival located at The Pictureville Cinema played host to a mixture of classics in 70mm, CinemaScope and Cinerama formats. There was a special tribute to the 60^th anniversary of CinemaScope, the famous widescreen process developed for Twentieth Century Fox back in the 1950s.

Friday kicked off with a rare 70mm screening of The Longest Day preceded by an informative introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling. This was followed by the much- loved The Great Escape presented for the first time in 4K Digital and the picture and sound were simply stunning. Cinema Retro contributor Dr. Sheldon Hall provided an illuminating introduction to this war classic. Following the delegates’ reception in the Kodak Gallery, The Sound of Music was presented in 70mm. The print was generally good although three quarters of the way through, a reel snapped resulting in a 10 minute wait for reparations to take place. When the show resumed, the audience cheered and applauded.

Saturday provided a different selection of features commencing with a wonderful short directed by Grant Wakefield in 2k called Remnants. Filmed using motion controlled time-lapse photography, Remnants captures on film the thousands of complex stone monuments constructed by the Neolithic peoples of Northern Europe from 3800 to 1000 BC. Stunning 2K resolution and extraordinary music provided by Tangerine Dream member Thorsten Quaeschning.

Dave Strohmaier and Randy Gitsch who do so much for the preservation and restoration of the Cinerama documentary features updated the audience on Seven Wonders of the World, another 3 strip Cinerama classic that required extensive work to bring this forthcoming restoration to a new generation of audiences. Following this came the European premiere of Cinerama Holiday shown in 2k Digital on the curved screen. Randy Gitsch provided the introduction and background to the extensive work needed to bring this second of the three Cinerama travelogues up to date. A highly rewarding experience for all. (Cinerama Holiday will be released later this year along with another Cinerama feature South Seas Adventure on the Flicker Alley label).

Saturday afternoon concluded with the European premiere of David Strohmaier's In the Picture short, which was filmed in 3 panel Cinerama for the first time in 50 years! This was followed by The Last Days of Cinerama, an affectionate look at the making of the aforementioned feature. A 70mm print of Hello Dolly rounded off the Saturday evening, again an excellent presentation.

Sunday opened with the regular and popular Cineramacana a montage of shorts and news items that included DTS demonstration reels and a 70mm reel of Tomorrow Never Dies which never saw a 70mm release in the UK. The traditional onstage photograph followed. Sunday afternoon ran the 3 strip feature of The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm, the only known print in existence. It looked magnificent on the Pictureville's curved screen.

How to Marry a Millionaire was screened on Sunday afternoon, with a beautiful CinemaScope print that was well received by all present. Tony Sloman provided a fascinating and amusing intro to this Fox Classic. The day concluded with a screening of The Guns of Navarone, shown for the first time in a 4k print. Again patrons were experiencing a much improved presentation of this war movie classic. This was introduced by Author Brian Hannan who has just written two books: The Making of the Guns of Navarone and The Making of Lawrence of Arabia.

The final day Monday showed the marathon feature Gettysburg over two parts which was introduced by Dr. Sheldon Hall.

The Bradford 2013 Widescreen festival will go down as one of the best ever, with improved organisation allowing delegates longer breaks between features and also arguably for the first time ever, ran pretty much to schedule!

Ably organised by Bill Lawrence and Duncan McGregor patrons seemed very happy with both the presentation and quality of the features on offer.

Congratulations to all concerned and roll on 2014.......

(Photo: David Kogut)

By Eddy Friedfeld

“There is no one like Jack Black… No, I read that wrong- no one likes Jack Black,”s aid Roastmaster Bob Saget as the School of Rock star and Tenacious D musician was honored at star-studded Friars Club event held at the New York Hilton on Friday April 5.

Saget masterfully set the tone for the roast: “To say that Jack Black is a one-trick pony is an insult to ponies… Jerry Lewis, you’re an icon,” he told the Friar’s Club Abbott, who announced that he is celebrating his 84^thyear in the entertainment business, “but I’m glad you don’t take a bow- you’d yank your balls out of your socks.”

“It’s unusual for Sarah Silverman to be at table with comedians,” Saget said introducing her, “she’s usually under a table jerking them off.” “Anyone who’s seen Bob do comedy knows it’s nothing like Full House,” Silverman replied. “He played a sweet Dad in Full House, and now plays a lousy comedian for a half-full house.” Turning to the corpulent actor Oliver Platt, she said: “you’re distantly related to Princess Diana, which means that bulimia is not an inherited trait… Jeff Ross made a sex tape and the next day his girlfriend was arrested for bestiality.”

The star-studded guest list ranged from Al Roker, Oliver Platt, to KISS founder Gene Simmons, Debbie Harry, Chad Smith, Richard Marx, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, The Spin Doctors, Boyd Tinsley, Dee Snider, Dreamworks’ co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg to Black’s Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass.

“There are so many fossils here, I thought that Ben Stiller was shooting another Night at the Museum sequel,” Silverman said. Turning to Lewis, she said: “The last person who thought you were funny in France just died. Jerry Lewis doesn’t think that women are funny and now no one thinks Jerry Lewis is funny.”

“Jack Black is very shy- he prefers to be left alone- that’s why he made Nacho Libre…School of Rock changed my life- because you can’t get rid of anal warts… Jack is so fat, his last movie was shot by Google Earth. He’s not starved for attention, just onion rings.”

Introducing Roastmaster General and creator and star of Comedy Central’s “The Burn” Jeffrey Ross, Saget said: “Before the roast he was standing next to Jerry Lewis in the lobby and somebody made a donation. And Jerry took it. And then he humped the guy.”

“Bob is currently on a stand-up tour of colleges, and it’s just nice to see someone not killing at a school these days,” Ross said. “What a turnout: Dee Snider, Debbie Harry, Joan Osborne. Last time I saw these three musicians together was in a Dollar CD bin… Is this a roast or a charity concert for shingles? Turning to Mike Love, he said: “Don’t you think it’s about time you change the name of the band to something more age appropriate, like The Grateful Dead?”

Turning to the guest of honor, he added: “Jack is widely considered a show business triple threat: Diabetes, blood pressure, and gout… Anybody see Jack in the remake of King Kong? Your version sucked so bad, King Kong jumped off The Empire State Building! Jack sounds like Meat Loaf and his partner Kyle smells like meatloaf… This is fun- I never roasted a marshmallow before!”

In its best incarnation, the roast is a celebration of a career or life through testimonials barely veiled as insults (and more often just insults themselves). Saget introduced Ross as one of his closest friends (“he came to my father’s Shiva, and he was so funny he made my mom choke on his kishka, which is what he calls his balls.”)

Ross’ interplay with Saget harkened back to the legendary era of Friar’s roasts where most of the roasters were lifelong friends, where Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Red Button, and Jan Murray would jab each other like expert swordsmen. Comrades in insulting arms, they were skilled at honoring someone they loved and respected through devout, passionate, and creative dishonor. As much as they were coming to see the guest of honor, audiences wanted and still want to be part of the beloved family of friends that made fun of each other with regularity and deep affection. With close friends Saget and Silverman, Ross continued the private party tradition where the roasters were happy to have you become a part of, where the friendship made even the harshest barbs affectionate.

Turning to Gene Simmons, he said: “You look like a Rabbi fucked an Indian Chief. What happened, Gene? You used to rock and roll all night and party every day- now you get up six times a night to go to the bathroom.” Getting Simmons to show his infamously large tongue, he added “you’re two pieces of pumpernickel away from being the Number 3 at the Carnegie Deli!”

Ross’ observation about Lewis: “We make fun of Jerry Lewis, but what about the good things Jerry Lewis does? What about the fact that just a few years ago, a six year old boy got up out of his wheelchair and walked for the first time- to turn off the Jerry Lewis Telethon,” brought down the house with the greatest laughs coming from Lewis himself.

Ross poignantly closed his set by telling the capacity crowd how much the roasts mean to him. “I love, love coming to these Friar’s roasts every year. Some of my best friends are on this dais and in this room. I started out at these roasts. I will finish my life at these roasts. And the fact that Jack Black knows enough about the traditions of comedy that he would agree to do this is an inspiration to people with Downs Syndrome everywhere.”

Roast-contest winner and newcomer Amadeo Fusca did an impressive job, starting by telling Saget “Thank you, Uncle Jesse.” To Katzenberg he said, “I’ve seen your movies. Your dreams don’t work… Jeff Ross is a veteran of these roasts- he shows up once a year and will probably be homeless.”

“Jack Black will do anything for a movie role, except sit-ups and pushups,” said Vh1’s Carrie Keagan; “This is my first Friar’s roast and obviously Jerry Lewis’ last,” said Amy Shumer, “it’s hard to film School of Rock when you’re not allowed 500 feet in front of one… how are you holding a pen,” she said to Saget, “don’t your hands hurt from hanging on by a thread for so long?” “In your version of Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver travelled right the video store,” Artie Lange said. “It’s very expensive to bring Jerry Lewis to the roast- it costs $10,000 to bring him here and $10,000 to tell him where he is.”

There were also videos from Seth Rogen, James Franco and Danny McBride, Matthew McConnaughey (“Jack Black is a very nice man, unless you’ve met any other men”),Will Ferrell in his Ron Bergundy persona, accusing Black of not returning “the AMC Hornet he borrowed,” and Shirley MacLaine, talking about how much she loved Jack in “Save the Tiger,” confusing him with former co-star, Jack Lemmon.

For photos from the event visit the Friars web site by clicking here 

Cinema Retro contributor Eddy Friedfeld teaches film and comedy history at NYU and Yale and will be hosting the Dick Van Dyke Lifetime Achievement Award program at New York’s 92^nd Street Y on April 26^th.

Oscar winners Daniel Day Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway and Christoph Waltz.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Although it's fashionable (required?) for critics to dump on the annual Oscar telecast, I've been impressed by some of the ceremonies in the last few years. Despite the length of the broadcast (only David Lean could be counted on to provide a longer running time), last night's presentation moved at a much faster pace than usual. It was hosted by Seth MacFarlane, someone whose presence on the show initially left me less-than-thrilled. I'd heard of him, of course, but had never seen him.  That may mean that I'm out of touch with contemporary pop culture, especially television, but I'd wager that anyone would agree that MacFarlane is the least-known person to ever host the show. Having said that, he did a fine job, given his thankless job as ringmaster. The show got off to a mildly amusing start with William Shatner as Captain Kirk "beamed" in from the future to warn MacFarlane that his reviews would prove to be terrible if he didn't improve his jokes. The gimmick worked well at the start but went on for an interminable 15 minutes until I wish someone had beamed me out. Fortunately, MacFarlane's monologue was clever, as was an intentionally distasteful "tribute" to actresses, a song titled "We Saw Your Boobs", which was turned into an admittedly funny production number.

Other observations:

• The producers succeeded in their quest to get big names to attend. Clint Eastwood may have opted to watch the show at home, but Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Plummer and other legends added star power to the event.
  
• One of the best gimmicks was the slowly-encroaching theme from Jaws which was played when winners went on too long in their acceptance speeches. The one winner who chose to ignore the warning  lost the battle and came across as a windbag.
• Fashion-wise, there were no show-stoppers, but neither were there any overt embarrassments. Everyone looked elegant.
  
• The obituary segment was improved by the fact that it wasn't accompanied by live music, which generally caused the camera to focus on the musician instead of the screen where the dearly departed are being honored.
  
• It's a pity that the once-vaunted Jean Hersholt Award is now relegated to a brief sound bite from an earlier presentation ceremony (Jeffrey Katzenberg was the honoree this year.) 
• It was great to see Barbra Streisand pay tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch by singing The Way We Were, but for some reason the arrangement left me unmoved and this great song didn't resonate the way it should have.
• The "banter" between co-presenters was pretty lame and got exponentially worse with the number of presenters on stage at any one time. (The cast of The Avengers appearing together must have seemed like a great idea but the result was awful in terms of witty byplay.)
  
• The much-anticipated James Bond 50th anniversary tribute would have been enthusiastically received by fans of the series, but the producers blundered early on by hinting that they were arranging for an on-stage appearance by all six 007 actors. When that fell apart, they then hinted something phenomenal was in the works, but aside from Shirley Bassey's brilliant rendition of Goldfinger, the long-overdue tribute to the series consisted of a pretty routine film clip compilation. Later in the show, Adele sang her theme from Skyfall and won a well-deserved Oscar. Skyfall also won in a sound category, thus breaking the Bond "Oscar Curse." (The last 007 film to win an Oscar was Thunderball back in 1965).
• There were a number of surprises among the winners: Christoph Waltz, Ang Lee, Quentin Tarantino were all considered to be dark horses this year.
  
• Production numbers were generally very good, especially the gathering of the Les Miserables cast who were in fine form.
  
• The inclusion of First Lady Michelle Obama in a live feed from the White House to "help" present the Best Picture award was as bizarre as it was superfluous. It may have gone over well with the crowd in the auditorium but probably left most viewers scratching their heads. Let's hope this overt blending of politics and Hollywood doesn't start a trend or we'll be seeing senators and congressmen in future production numbers. 
• MacFarlane's closing production number "tribute" to the losers was as witty as anything Billy Crystal ever came up with and ended the show on a high note.
  

Overall, a good presentation that moved briskly and rarely proved to be boring. MacFarland will suffer the slings-and-arrows of the professional Oscar-bashers, but he acquitted himself well in the eyes of this reviewer, who incidentally, had a very mediocre result from his Oscar predictions. I only managed to nab some of the foregone conclusions and completely misjudged many of the other categories. The sheer unpredictability of this year's winners helped to inject some genuine suspense into the proceedings. 

Although denied a Best Director nomination, Ben Affleck shared the Oscar for Argo's Best Picture Oscar as one of the film's producers.

Argo won the Best Picture Oscar. Acting awards to Daniel Day Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway and Christoph Waltz. Best director to Ang Lee. For details click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Here we go again. In the past, I've had a fairly good record of predicting Oscar winners...Let's see if the trend holds. Last week, I helped to host an annual Oscar prediction event at New York's legendary private club The Coffee House. I went against the popular consensus on some predictions, so let's see if my well-thought out analysis (to which I devoted about 30 seconds) will pay off this year, as well.

BEST PICTURE:  Argo. Everyone is saying Argo. They may be right. Academy voters were humiliated that Ben Affleck failed to secure a nomination for Best Director, so they may try to atone by giving the film Best Picture. (It was the directors who snubbed Affleck but all Academy members can vote for Best Picture). However, it would be only the third time in Oscar history that a Best Picture award went to a film for which its director was not nominated. (The others were Wings, Grand Hotel and Driving Miss Daisy.) As of this morning I was still thinkin' Lincoln, but I now think Argo will pull it off...and voters can console Spielberg by giving him the Best Director nod. 

BEST DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg. It's probably between Steven Spielberg for Lincoln and David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, a fine but over-rated flick that built in momentum during the crucial voting period. I'll go with Spielberg, however, because his track record has been pretty checkered in recent years and the Academy would like to re-inspire him to strive for meaningful projects such as Lincoln, a film that proved he still has the old mojo.

BEST ACTRESS: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook. It's a remarkable performance by a 22-year-old actress who was still in high school when the movie was first put into development.

BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day Lewis for Lincoln is the odds-on favorite and I'm sticking with him, though Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings could be a dark horse winner.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook. One of the toughest categories to call. Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained is probably out of the picture, having recently won for another Tarantino flick. Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master might stand a chance as an upset win, but few people saw the movie. Tommy Lee Jones was great in Lincoln, but he's grouchy and turns off Academy voters. Alan Arkin was great in Argo but he won the award a few years ago. That leaves Robert De Niro, who I believe will win. My friend, actor Simon Jones who hosted the Oscar event at the Coffee House with me, said disparagingly "De Niro was acting, alright- with a capital "A"!" To some De Niro was trying too hard to make up for a string of low-end movies he did for a fast paycheck. But I enjoyed his performance and I think the Academy will want to inspire him (as with Spielberg) to use his talents for worthy projects.  

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michael Haneke for Amour. The screenplay categories always feature the quirkiest winners. Tarantino might be a favorite but many voters would have been turned off by the sheer violence of Django Unchained. Mark Boal's screenplay for Zero Dark Thirty has been compromised by political controversies and criticisms about artistic license. John Gatins for Flight might be deserving but is still a long-shot and perpetually overrated Wes Anderson (with Roman Coppola) probably don't stand a chance for Moonrise Kingdom.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook. Almost impossible to call this highly competitive category. Tony Kushner's screenplay for Lincoln is a strong contender, but it has also been embroiled in controversy about accuracy, though most of that surfaced after the votes were in. I think they'll give it to Russell because Silver Linings is a feel-good, uplifting movie and they will want to afford him a consolation prize for not giving him Best Dirctor.

VISUAL EFFECTS: The Life of Pi

SOUND MIXING: Les Miserables

SOUND EDITING: The Life of Pi

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Lincoln

SCORE: John Williams for Lincoln

MAKEUP: The Hobbit

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Amour

FILM EDITING: Argo

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Searching for Sugar Man

COSTUME DESIGN: Les Miserables

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lincoln

ANIMATED FEATURE: Frankenweenie

BEST SONG: Skyfall

I have to say I have feeling I'm going to bomb out this year...too many categories are crap shoots but that should make for a suspenseful and fun Oscar night. Will check in the day after to see how I fared.

Cinema Retro's man-about-town in London, photographer Mark Mawston snapped some fantastic shots of stars arriving on the red carpet. It was a glamorous evening and Oscar could take some pointers in terms of the pacing of the show and the comedic factors. There was scarcely any of the interminable "spontaneous" byplay among couples presenting the Oscars...instead, everyone was left to their own devices and the results were far more amusing. Best of all was host Stephen Fry, who deftly laid waste to any hint of pretentiousness by using a rapier wit to take on one and all. It was also a glamorous affair, proof positive that the Brits are still tops at this sort of thing. Best of all, most of the awards actually made sense! (All images copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved)

George Clooney and Ben Affleck, big winners for Argo.

Anne Hathaway

Billy Connelly

Thandie Newton

(L to R) Louise Quick, Marisa Berenson, Robert Osborne, Joel Grey, Nicole Fosse and Michael York. (Photo copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

Warner Home Video has pulled out all the stops to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bob Fosse's film adaptation of Cabaret. Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer was invited to a press junket held yesterday at the Trump Towers hotel at Central Park and Columbus Circle in New York. Among the dignitaries present were cast members Joel Grey (an Oscar winner for his performance in the film), Michael York, Marisa Berenson and Louise Quick, who was a dancer in the Kit-Kat Club sequences, Nicole Fosse, daughter of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon and Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne.

Joel Grey discusses his memories of the film. (Photo copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

Marisa Berenson (Photo copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)

The event afforded journalists to interview each of the attendees and hear some fascinating anecdotes about the making of the movie and the reasons why its impact resonates decades later. The promotions continue with Warner Home Video's release of the Blu-ray special edition release of the film leading up to tonight's  star-studded "re-premiere" of the restored movie at New York's legendary Ziegfeld Theatre, where the original premiere took place in 1972. In addition to the aforementioned dignitaries, Liza Minnelli will also be attending. It should be a great night in Gotham.

(L to R) Legendary movie poster designer Bill Gold next to the commemorative WB 90th anniversary poster that honors his designs; Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer and contributing writer Doug Gerbino.

The creative team behind the 90th anniversary documentary: (L to R) producer Bill Gerber, director Gary Khammar, moderator and Oscar winning sound man Christopher Newman and Jeff Baker, Exec VP of Warner Home Video.

Cinema Retro was invited to attend the world premiere of the new documentary Warner Brothers 90th Anniversary: Tales From the Lot on January 29th at the Paley Center for Media in New York City. The festivities included a champagne reception pre-screening party and the opportunity to interview the creative team behind the documentary: producer Bill Gerber, director Gary Khammar and Jeff Baker, Executive Vice President of Warner Home Video. Remarkably, the 145 minute documentary doesn't utilize any film clips from classic Warner Brothers films. Baker said he wanted the story told through people who have worked for and with WB over the decades. Thus, we get fascinating insights into the physical studio itself as well as enlightening anecdotes from artists, technicians, directors such as Richard Donner and Christopher Nolan, producers Joel Silver, Jerry Weintraub, David Foster, studio executives and actors including Mel Gibson, Paul Rubens, Morgan Freeman and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. The film also features interviews with Clint Eastwood, who is simply and appropriately described as "Icon". Also present for the festivities was legendary film poster designer Bill Gold. Bill's career extends back to creating the one sheet poster for The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1939. Bill's other classic poster designs include Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Wild Bunch, Bonnie and Clyde, Bulllitt, Dial M for Murder and each of Clint Eastwood's films over the last 35 years. At the event, WB unveiled a new poster commemorating Gold's poster designs for WB. It is available in select boxed sets of DVDs and Blu-rays pertaining to the 90th anniversary.

A one-hour version of Warner Brothers 90th Anniversary: Tales From the Lot airs on Turner Classic Movies (North America)  this Saturday and Sunday, February 2-3.

For more on the anniversary, click here

To commemorate the 90th anniversary, Warner Home Video has released the largest boxed set of DVDs ever produced, featuring 100 classic movies either produced by Warner Brothers or now owned by the studio. (Click here for publicity clip about the set) Click here to order from Amazon and save 36%

The studio has also released a 50 disc classic Blu-ray set. Click here to order from Amazon and save 39% off retail price.

Both boxed sets include the full, 145 minute version of the 90th anniversary documentary as well as the special Bill Gold commemorative poster. Both sets also include commemorative post cards based on classic Bill Gold movie posters.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN:

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SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN

Written and directed by Gilles Penso

Produced by Alexandre Poncet, Co-produced by Tony Dalton

Featuring Ray Harryhausen, Tony Dalton, James Cameron, Terry Gilliam, John Landis, Nick Park, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro

Release date: At cinemas from 9^th November 2012

Certificate: tbc

Running time: 94 mins

“I think all of us who are practitioners in the arts of science fiction and fantasy movies now, all feel that we’re standing on the shoulders of a giant. If not for Ray’s contribution to the collective dreamscape we wouldn’t be who we are.” James Cameron

The remarkable career of the movie industry’s most admired and influential special-effects auteur, the legendary Ray Harryhausen, is the subject of Gilles Penso’s definitive documentary Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan.

Leaving no doubt as to Harryhausen’s seminal influence on modern-day special effects, the documentary features enlightening and entertaining interviews with the man himself, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, John Landis, Guillermo Del Toro, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more. These filmmakers, who today push the boundaries of special effects movie-making, pay tribute to the grandfather of Stop Motion animation and films such as ‘The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms’, ‘It Came From Beneath The Sea’, ‘The 7^th Voyage Of Sinbad’, ‘Mysterious Island’, ‘Jason And The Argonauts’ and ‘The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad’ – the films that enthralled them as children and inspired them to become filmmakers in their own right.

The interviews are combined with archival footage and contemporary clips plus the added delight of behind-the-scenes footage, stills and original drawings plus recently discovered unseen takes of tests and experiments. The filmmakers were granted unprecedented access to film all aspects of The Ray Harryhausen Collection including models, artwork and miniatures as well as Ray's private study, where he designed most of his creations, and his workshop where he built them.

This story of how a hobby became a profession, from Ray’s first childhood experiments with dinosaurs made in his parents garage, to the ground-breaking techniques he developed to intricately interweave Stop Motion animation with live action and the birth of Dynamation is essential viewing for any fan of science-fiction, fantasy and adventure filmmaking.

Ray and his movies transport us to the magical other worlds of ancient mythology in the company of fantastical creatures such as the Talos, the Cyclops, the Skeletons and the Kali without which the likes of Avatar, Jurassic Park, Star Wars and The Lord Of The Rings would not even have been imagined. The documentary reveals the painstaking detail, concentration and patience required to do by hand, what a computer now creates artificially in seconds, and it was all one man. A lost art, perhaps, but Ray Harryhausen’s influence will resonate for many generations to come.

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (Arrow Films) is released at cinemas from 9^th November 2012.

Further information from The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation can be found at http://www.rayharryhausen.com/

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Park Circus film distributors in the UK:

Leading international classic and repertory film distributor Park Circus is pleased to announce a stellar line-up of restorations and newly discovered classics as part of the 2012 BFI London Film Festival Treasures from the Archive strand.

Otto Preminger’s BONJOUR TRISTESSE, starring David Niven and Deborah Kerr, receives its UK premiere in a sparkling new digital restoration courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing. The film will screen on the 12^th and 13^th October.

Following a world premiere at Cannes, Sony Pictures’ restoration of David Lean’s LAWRENCE OF ARABIA will be screened in a stunning 4K digital presentation on 20th October. This will be the first time the 4K version of the film screens in the UK. Released in 1962, the film celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a return to cinemas worldwide. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, which Park Circus is rolling out internationally, will receive a UK theatrical release from 16th November 2012.

Sony Pictures’ restoration of Sergio Solima’s THE BIG GUNDOWN will receive its international premiere in a new 4K restoration featuring the original Italian soundtrack. The screening will take place on 20^th October.

An archival 35mm print of Jack Garfein’s SOMETHING WILD will receive rare screenings on the 18^th and 20^th October.

Robert Aldrich’s 1962 WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, starring screen legends Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, will be presented in a brand new restoration by Warner Bros. to honour the film’s 50^th anniversary. Screening on the 18^th and 20^th October. The LFF screenings mark the start of Park Circus’ international plans for the film, including a UK release from December 14^th2012.

Originally released in 1955, London will host the world premiere of the Film Foundation’s restoration of RICHARD III, directed and starring Sir Laurence Olivier, on 14^th October.

The London Film Festival marks a very active season for Park Circus Films with a number of additional titles being released into the cinema market place worldwide including a US re-release of David Lean’s BRIEF ENCOUNTER and, internationally, a special Christmas re-release of GREMLINS.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the British Film Institute:

The BFI is pleased to announce that the grand finale of The Genius of Hitchcock project (June – October 2012) will be the BFI London Film Festival’s Archive Gala screening, presented in association with The Krasner Fund for the BFI, of the world premiere of the BFI National Archive’s new restoration of Hitchcock’s The Manxman (1929). This powerful love triangle set among the fishing community on the Isle of Man will be shown at The Empire, Leicester Square with a new score by Stephen Horne on 19 October 2012. 

The BFI London Film Festival runs from 10 -21 October 2012.

Clare Stewart, BFI Head of Exhibition & Artistic Director, BFI LFF said, “The Manxman as the  BFI London Film Festival Archive Gala will be a fitting culmination to the BFI’s extraordinary series of screenings of Hitchcock's newly restored silent films this summer. Critics and audiences alike have thrilled to see these films afresh, transformed by great new music and exciting settings. We are delighted to be showing The Manxman at The Empire, a cinema which Hitchcock knew, with an accompaniment from Stephen Horne, a hugely talented composer who is guaranteed to produce something worthy of the LFF’s prestigious archive presentation.

This screening marks the start of a valuable partnership with Ella Krasner, whose significant donation launches The Krasner Fund for the BFI: supporting film treasures in the BFI Collections. The Krasner Fund for the BFI will underpin a series of events throughout the year which, in turn, will leverage additional support for the unparalleled collections held in the BFI National Archive. 

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO said, “We are delighted to welcome Ella Krasner to the BFI. Her donation will support the work of the BFI collections and the fund we are launching with her at the Archive Gala will act as a meaningful catalyst to leverage additional significant funds for the same cause.  We are very grateful to her for initiating a new concept of support for our Archive in a sustainable way.”

The Manxman is Alfred Hitchcock’s last wholly silent film and one of the best and most mature works of his early career. Adapted from the novel (originally published in 1894) by Sir Hall Caine, a bestselling author who specialised in stories set on the Isle of Man, the location work was actually done in Cornwall. Set in a small fishing community, two boyhood friends take markedly different paths in adulthood, one a humble fisherman, the other a lawyer destined to become ‘Deemster’, the local chief justice.  Both fall in love with the same woman, forcing them to deal not only with their own moral code but also that of the strict Manx society. Although an untypical Hitchcock work, The Manxman succeeds brilliantly on its own terms and features superlative performances from Hitchcock favourites, Malcom Keen, Carl Brisson and the luminescent Anny Ondra.

Stephen Horne has been associated with the BFI for over 20 years and is an internationally renowned accompanist to silent films and a composer in his own right. His involvement with The Genius of Hitchcock began when he performed a partially improvised score at the world premiere screening of the BFI’s new restoration of The Ring at the Cannes Film Festival in May to great acclaim, playing piano, flute, accordion and percussion. He will also play a musical accompaniment to Hitchcock’s Easy Virtue in the autumn for screenings at BFI Southbank.

The Genius of Hitchcock is the biggest ever project undertaken by the BFI. The Manxman is the last of nine new restorations of Alfred Hitchcock’s surviving silent films to be presented with new music, part of a series of spectacular events, launched as part of the Cultural Olympiad. The project continues through August into October with a complete retrospective at BFI Southbank, many international guests and a nationwide release of The Lodger in cinemas. Now in the final stage of the campaign, there is still a chance for anyone who would like to help ensure all nine of Hitchcock’s surviving silent films can be restored to make a donation by visiting www.bfi.org.uk/saveafilm. The BFI has also published a new book 39 Steps to The Genius of Hitchcock and there is a supporting exhibition at BFI Southbank alongside a series of new resources on the BFI website.

The Manxman credits

Cast :

Carl BRISSON                      Pete Quilliam

Malcolm KEEN                    Philip Christian

Randle AYRTON                Caesar Cregeen

Anny ONDRA                      Kate Gregeen

Kim PEACOCK                    Ross Christian (uncredited)

Clare GREET                        Mrs Cregeen

Director:  Alfred HITCHCOCK

Production Company: British International Pictures

Photography: Jack COX

Scenario: Eliot STANNARD

Adapted from the famous story by: Hall CAINE

Studio: ELSTREE STUDIOS

Assistant Director: Frank MILLS

Art Director: Wilfrd ARNOLD, Emile DE RUELLE

The restoration and presentation of The Manxman has been generously supported by Daniel & Joanna Friel, Ronald T Shedlo, and an anonymous donor. Additional funding provided by Deluxe 142.

We also gratefully acknowledge the support and collaboration of STUDIOCANAL, rightsholders of The Manxman.

Special thanks must go to everyone who has supported the BFI's Hitchcock 9 campaign, including: The Eric Anker-Petersen Charity; Arts Council England; British Board of Film Classification; Deluxe 142; Shivendra Singh Dungarpur; The Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation; The Film Foundation; Pia Getty; The Headley Trust; Simon W Hessel; The Hollywood Foreign Press Association; Ian & Beth Mill; Col & Karen Needham; PRS for Music Foundation; Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation; Martin Scorsese; and, Matt Spick.

By Jonathan Melville

Is there something about classic movie fans that makes us more obsessive than your average cinemagoer? Does the fact that we often have to search for years for that obscure Western or noir on DVD mean we're more appreciative when we finally see it? Would most of us rather watch a 1960s Bond movie at the multiplex than a modern CGI-fest?

Those are some of the questions I asked myself as I left my home (and DVD collection) in the UK to fly 5,000 miles to the third annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood over the weekend of 12-15 April 2012. A gathering of thousands of movie aficionados from around the globe, this spin-off from the US cable TV channel promises attendees that they'll see some of the best films ever made, often in the company of the people who made them, in the way they were meant to be seen. Planning for TCM is akin to a military operation, albeit one that involves popcorn and soft drinks. This is a festival that offers up around 80 films from all genres and multiple decades across its four days, usually with a choice of around five films at any one time. The choice can be between 1962's How the West Was Won (in Cinerama), 1955's To Catch a Thief (at Grauman's Chinese Theatre), 1949's Criss Cross, 1968's Rosemary's Baby and a few more, all scheduled against each other.

My Festival started with a stop at the red carpet as the celebrities filed into Grauman's for a screening of 1972's Cabaret, in the presence of Ms Liza Minnelli. Tippi Hedren, Michael York, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Anderson, Larry Hagman and John Landis were just some of those in attendance, most of them rushing past this Cinema Retro reporter and into the palatial surroundings of the theatre. One of the finest actors on that carpet, at least for this fan of The Pink Panther, was Robert Wagner, who stopped for a few moments to share his memories of working with Peter Sellers in the 1964 comedy. â€œI loved Peter, we were great friends and had a marvellous time together,” said Wagner. “It was very exciting seeing him bring that character together with Blake Edwards. You had the feeling it was going to be a hit, you just knew.”

Robert Evans and Robert Towne with Robert Osborne.

The next few days went past in something of blur as I queued, changed my mind about what films to see, heard stories about screenings and introductions I'd missed, made new friends and attempted to get some sleep. I shivered as Lon Chaney Jr morphed from Larry Talbot into The Wolf Man in the 1941 Universal classic; was in awe at the aerial footage shot by William Wellman in 1927's Wings; smiled as Kirk Douglas, at the age of 95, sang a verse from 1954's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea before a screening of the film; and laughed as Dick Powell breezed his way through 1951's film noir, Cry Danger, as co-star Rhonda Fleming discussed suffering from appendicitis on set to an audience at The Egyptian Theatre.

And that was just days one and two.

Saturday night back at Grauman's saw Roman Polanski's 1974 film, Chinatown, shown in the presence of screenwriter Robert Towne and producer Robert Evans, the pair introduced by TCM host, Robert Osborne. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, Chinatown was the first film that Robert Evans produced. Towne explained that Evans had originally requested he adapt F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby for the screen, but that he didn't want to do it. â€œWe were having dinner at Dominick's on Beverly Boulevard and Evans was trying to figure out why I didn't want to do Gatsby,” noted Towne. “I told him [about Chinatown]. Bob said “I don't understand a goddamned thing but I do like the title”. He got all of us in there who knew each other and cared about each other so that we could fight and have a good time.”

Betty White makes a memorable entrance at the Friars roast in her honor. (Photo: Marion Curtis, Starpix/Associated Press)

By Eddy Friedfeld

Television legend Betty White was the target of this year’s Friars Club Roast, held in New York’s Sheraton Hotel.

From an eclectic dais that ranged from Matt Lauer, Liza Minelli, and Dick Cavett, to Dominic “Uncle Junior” Chianese, to The Office’s Oscar Nunez, to former New York star John Starks, to boxing great Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, to Best Picture The Artist’s Uggie the Dog, the event was up to its usual biting and merciless humor, poking fun at the guest of honor’s age and sexual proclivity.

Barbara Walters served as Roastmaster, marking the first time in Friars history that women were both host and subject. “Yesterday, I was talking to the President of the United States,” Walters said, referring to Barack Obama’s appearance on The View, “and today I am with second rate comedians and a dog.”

Walters kicked off the festivities by skewering her longtime friend: “What has been said about Betty White that hasn’t been said about her contemporaries: Moses, John the Baptist, and General Custer… Betty was the first woman banned by the TSA for requesting too many pat downs, the first person to try and send a text from a land line, and the first woman to do Shakespeare at The Globe Theater. Literally- she did him in the balcony.”

“Regis Philbin, Abe Vigoda, Larry King, what is this, a roast or are we Sitting Shiva,” Walter’s co-host, Joy Behar, said about her elderly dais companions. “Larry King’s latest wife is not only compatible romantically; she is also a compatible donor… When Katie Couric had her last colonoscopy televised, they found Sarah Palin’s high school diploma… Betty White is so old her first sitcom was “Hot for Grover Cleveland.”

White’s Hot in Cleveland costars Valerie Bertinelli and Jane Leeves took the podium together: “Betty has slept with every Cy Young award winner- including Cy Young; and when Joe Jonas lost his promise ring, Betty didn’t rest until he didn’t need it anymore,” Bertinelli said. “Betty asked a young waiter: “How many times does 20 go into 90?”” Leeves added.

Roastmaster General Jeffrey Ross, creator and host of the upcoming Comedy Central’s The Burn, congratulated Walters on her interview with the President on The View, “or as Fox News reported it: “Muslim Terrorist Invades Lesbian Orgy!”

“Larry King is to comedy what Martin Luther King is to comedy,” he said to “the great hunchback of CNN.”

Turning to the “Ghost of Honor,” the hysterical Ross said: “Betty is truly the only person who truly saw The Titanic in 3-D… she is so old that the color white is named after her… Poor Betty has had more men die on top of her than Mount Everest,” and that he was “really looking forward to her next movie: “Weekend at Betty’s.”

“Betty, just for the record- I don’t think videotaping your orthoscopic surgery counts as a hidden camera show. And this big comeback- “Betty-Mania,” all started with a Snickers commercial. Did you guys see it? And I thought The Kardashians were the only ones who got famous by stuffing chocolate in their mouths.”

Although his office was three blocks away, David Letterman appeared on a video clip, offering a Top Ten List of little known facts about Betty White, including that “she was only 33, but lived a hard life; has seen seven Presidents naked, many at the same time; shaved the backs of co-stars Ed Asner and Bea Arthur; is the sister of Barry White; and once, on The Match Game, handled Gene Rayburn’s “blank.””

“At Betty White’s age there is a fine line between a roast and a cremation,” Larry King told the audience. He shared the advice Betty allegedly gave other people: “She told Arnold Schwarzenegger- “Don’t pay the maid, just give her a big tip under the table;” to Abraham Lincoln- “the tickets are a gift, enjoy!” to John Edwards- “enjoy the girl, she probably won’t say anything;” to the Captain of The Hindenburg- “ignore the no smoking sign;” to John Travolta- “I know a great male masseur;” and to Mel Gibson- “they don’t control the media, say whatever you want.”

“Larry King is a triple threat,” said closer Lisa Lampanelli,” at any given moment he can have a heart attack, stroke, or shit his pants… Jeff Ross is so ugly that when he whacked off his hand froze… Matt Lauer is thinner than a Hot in Cleveland plot line… Regis is so old that his Social Security number is in Roman Numerals… Betty White was born in Oak Park, Illinois and lived with her parents, or as we knew them as- Settlers… she is so old that on the first game show she was on the grand prize was fire.”

White thanked The Friars for all the charity work that they do and for the event: “I had a great time when I didn’t expect to.”

(For Eddy Friedfeld's coverage of the Friars Roast for Jerry Lewis, see Cinema Retro issue #6) 

I'm not sure that a course such as this will ease the pain of parents struggling to pay for sky-high college tuition, but Cornell University is embarking on a study about what makes certain movie lines resonate with the public-in some cases long after the movie's impact has receded. Click here to read 

By Lee Pfeiffer

On March 16, The Friars Club presented an 86th birthday celebration honoring Jerry Lewis. The sold-out event saw hundreds of Lewis fans packed into the fabled 92nd Street Y on Manhattan's upper East Side. The show was hosted by actor/comedian and fellow Friar Richard Belzer (Lewis is the club's "Abbot"). Belzer waxed eloquently about the impact Lewis has continued to have on generations of comedians. He then showed some truly fascinating clips from director Gregg Barson's recent documentary Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis. Then Lewis was introduced to a standing ovation. At 86 years old, there were few signs that age had taken its toll on the comedy legend. He walked a bit more cautiously and his hair was flecked with gray, but he cut a fit figure for a man of any age. Lewis and Belzer indulged in some predictable shtick, with Belzer taking most of Lewis' acid-tongued insults. Lewis covered many topics during the course of the interview, which was followed by an extended Q&A session with the audience. As usual, such opportunities seem to result in most normal people remaining in their seats while various nutcases take to the microphone to ask questions. The ratio here was about 50/50,which is certainly light years better than one usually finds at such events. Lewis made mincemeat of some of the people, though he admitted his hearing is not what it was and he came down hard on some people who asked sane questions, quite possibly because he misheard them. Lewis begged the audience not to use their time extolling their love for him and their childhood memories of his films, as he said the rest of the audience would become bored. Nevertheless, some hams and opportunists couldn't resist the lure of the spotlight. An aspiring standup comic insisted on shaking his hand, and Lewis conceded. However, a name-dropper in the audience kept reminding Lewis of some ties between their families and presented Lewis with what he claimed to be a photograph of his daughter at the man's house many years ago. "Bullshit", said Lewis, who claimed he didn't know the man or his family. In a cringe-inducing moment, he tossed the photo on the floor. A young woman who introduced herself as an aspiring director presented Lewis with a birthday card, saying that she wasn't out "drinking" like other people her age, preferring instead to concentrate on studying filmmaking. (This desperate plea for praise showed her ignorance of the fact that everyone else in the audience was at least temporarily refraining from drinking. Was Lewis supposed to praise us all?) Lewis was effusive in his praise of his fans and audiences, which helped offset some of the crueler instances of his dismissal and public humiliation of some of those who had addressed him. One person who escaped Lewis' wrath was fellow Friar Jerry Stiller, who greeted Lewis fro the audience and received a warm response. 

A wide variety of topics were covered. Here are some highlights:

• Lewis said that Dean Martin was the most underrated man in show business because he had to endure being regarded as window dressing, as Lewis would gain the lion's share of praise from critics and audiences. He said Martin gamely pretended it didn't bother him, even though Lewis said he knew that it did. 
• He recalled being terrified at starring in his first post-Martin & Lewis film, The Delicate Delinquent, fearing that audience interest in him would wane in the wake of the team's break-up.
• Lewis confirmed the rumor that he had indeed been fired from the annual telethon for Muscular Dystrophy. He had hosted the show since the mid-1960s. The audience gasped at the revelation and he said the new management of the charity disagreed with him on some concepts so they dismissed his services. He did not expand on the reasons behind the dispute but said he took satisfaction that the telethon still raised a great deal of money for those afflicted with the disease. 
• When Paramount wanted to move the release of Cinderfella to the summer, Lewis insisted that he had created the film with a Christmas release in mind. When the studio begged him for a summer film, Lewis wrote the entire script for The Bellboy in a matter of days, then shot the movie in an amazingly abbreviated period of time. It went on to be a huge boxoffice success.
• Lewis spoke about making The King of Comedy with Martin Scorsese. Originally his character, a Johnny Carson-like TV icon, was named Robert Langford. Lewis insisted that Scorsese change the character's name to Jerry Langford. He told the puzzled Scorsese that this would help him gain some valuable footage in a scene in which Langford is shouted to by fans as he walks through Times Square. Lewis demonstrated this by simply taking Scorsese on a walk through the area they would be filming in. Immediately, passersby started shouting out, "Hey, Jerry!" Scorsese realized instantly that he could simply film Lewis walking through the area and not have to hire extras to shout the name, "Robert". Lewis also recalled being somewhat nervous about Scorsese asking him to direct a scene in the film while he observed. 
• Lewis is making a new movie Max Rosen but was most enthused about discussing his forthcoming Broadway musical adaptation of The Nutty Professor. The show is geared to open in November with a score by Marvin Hamlisch and a book by Rupert Holmes. Lewis will direct. 
• Lewis said the worst film experience of his career was Slapstick of Another Kind, a 1982 bomb that he said "I never should have done." Lewis explained he wanted to help the film's young director (who he mercifully didn't name. It was Steven Paul). He said the film emerged as such a disaster that Lewis is disturbed to even think about it even today. However, he said, he had given his word that he would do it and "when you shake a man's hand, you don't back out."
• Lewis expressed satisfaction that his 1960s book about the techniques of film directing is still widely used in schools and that Scorsese regarded it as so vital that he kept on the set of his films. He also said that when he got into an argument with Scorsese about how to film a scene, Scorsese got the upper hand that by showing Lewis a paragraph in his own book that dispelled his argument. Lewis had to concede and Scorsese got his way.
• He spoke very highly of his mother and father, both stage performers, who got Jerry into their act at age five in order to get a $5 increase in their paychecks. On his first night on stage, Jerry was taking a bow when he slipped and knocked out one of the stage lights, causing a mini-explosion. When the audience roared with laughter, Jerry was determined to continue to perform in front of audiences. He said the memory is still so vivid it seems like it was yesterday. 
• He talked with pride about his technological achievements, specifically in popularizing the Video Assist camera system that became widely used in the industry.
• Lewis choked up a bit when talking about other comedy legends. He paid homage to the largely forgotten comedy genius Harry Ritz and recalled a particular anecdote regarding Charles Chaplin. Lewis had befriended jim legend in the 1960s. In 1971, Lewis opened his stage act in Paris to much acclaim. On opening night, his performance in front of European show business royalty lasted almost three hours. The following morning, he was having breakfast with Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of Charles. She revealed to him that Chaplin had attended the performance and greatly enjoyed it. Lewis was astonished. "But I didn't see him in the audience", he said. Geraldine explained that Chaplin had stood in the hot projection booth for the entire performance because he knew that if he was spotted, the attention would be diverted from Jerry's achievement on stage. Lewis is still moved by the fact that the elderly Chaplin stood for almost three hours in an uncomfortable environment, then sneaked out rather than detract from Lewis' performance. 
• Most moving was Lewis' recollections of his friendship with Stan Laurel, who he still regards as a prince among men. He said Stan told him about the day he received a telephone call telling him that Oliver Hardy had been diagnosed as terminally ill. Laurel recalled that his arm that held the telephone literally froze up as though it were made of stone and he could not move it, as he was so shaken by the news. Lewis said Laurel refused to leave his house for a period of time because he could not hide his depression and thought it would be too upsetting for young children to see him in anything but a happy mood. Most fascinating was Lewis' stories about trying to hire Laurel as a script consultant on his films. Laurel knew that Lewis was only trying to make him feel relevant in the new age of comedy and refused his offer of a $150,000 fee per movie. Nevertheless, Laurel did contribute some opinions. He sent one script back to Lewis with a red marker through a scene and wrote, "Don't shoot this!" Lewis felt it was one of the best scenes in the movie, and he had written it himself. Regardless, he wasn't about to second-guess Stan Laurel when it came to comedy and he never shot the scene. He said that one day he was at Laurel's house and he noticed a small ID card laying on a table. It was Laurel's studio pass card dating from 1920. Laurel gave it to him and Lewis still carries it to this day. (He produced it from his wallet and showed the audience.)

By Mark Mawston

Cinema Retro is always on the lookout for classic and cult movies being screened in unique ways by film clubs and societies. We seem to have found one that could really top them all- literally at a dead end!

I learned about The Flicker Club via the B-Movie Podcast (www.bmoviecast.com) recently and I was intrigued. This February they ran a short season of Hammer Films. Nothing exceptional about that, you may say, bar the fact that they have screened rarities such as The Reptile, The Witches and the obscure The Lost Continent. If that wasn’t enough, in conjunction with Hammer, they screened the newly restored Dracula from 1958 with found footage that was missing for decades.. However- wonderful though this is - it is the location and the way in which the Flicker Club screened these gems that elevates them beyond the norm. They chose to screen the films in the tunnels under London’s Waterloo that were once part of the London Necropolis railway station. I’d heard mention of this years ago and was always fascinated by it.

The London Necropolis Railway was opened in 1854 as a reaction to severe overcrowding in the city’s existing graveyards and cemeteries. Specifically, the rail system was used to move as many grave sites as possible to the newly-built Brookwood Cemetery in Brockwood Surrey. This location was within easy travelling distance of London, but distant enough that the dead could not pose any risk to public hygiene. It was at one time the largest cemetery in the world.

The Station was used for many years (it even had first to third class tickets!) until it was bombed in the war, when it was abandoned and further demolished to make way for offices (and the usual car park). However, the tunnel system under the railways remained intact and this is where the films were screened- in the actual tunnel room that was used as the morgue for the dead bodies awaiting their final trip- of their mortal remains at least. It was chilling in more ways the one, no matter who many coffees you had! However, the warmest reception was when Fenella Fielding of Carry On Screaming and The Prisoner fame headed to stage to give a reading from Mary Shelly’s famous novel. She enraptured the audience and you could hear a pin drop until one of the trains pulling into Waterloo rumbled like thunder above. This happened on cue as Fenella read about an oncoming storm. It was quite a moment. Frankenstein Created Women (a Martin Scorsese favourite) was then introduced by author Alan Barnes, who co- wrote excellent books on Hammer with Marcus Hearn (who could not be present but who sent a very informative introduction to be read out.)

All in all this was a very memorable night and hats off to Juliette and Clive at Flicker (www.theflickerclub.com) for putting on such a great “underground” season! The Club will have further events and screenings and we will keep you posted on where and when these will happen in the future.

Cinema Retro's go-to London photographer Mark Mawston gets invited to the A list events. Here is a great on-line scrapbook of his exclusive photos from last week's BAFTA awards, taken on the red carpet.

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved)

Meryl Streep

Skyfall Bond girls Naomi Harris and Bernice Marlohe.

Christina Hendricks

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the BBC:

(Christmas Eve; 10:40pm; BBC FOUR)

BBC Bristol’s Timeshift reveals the Ten Commandments of Big Cinema as it goes behind the scenes of the biggest film genre of them all - the Hollywood Epic. See the biggest sets ever known! Hear the sound of Ancient Rome! Count the spiralling costs as budgets soared!  

From Ben-Hur to The Ten Commandments, from El Cid to Cleopatra, these were films that set a new standard in BIG. In the days before computers they recreated ancient worlds on a vast scale, and they did it for real. Epic cinema hired armies, defied the seasons and changed cinema. Even the screen wasn't big enough for the epic, so Hollywood made it bigger - and some cinemagoers experienced vertigo watching these vast productions.  

Today, the Epic lives on in the Oscar-laden Gladiator and the spectacular sweep of Avatar. As this documentary reveals, the stories behind the films are as spectacular as the films themselves.   

The programme will include a number of classic Hollywood Epics from the 1950s and 1960s, and will include rare behind the scenes footage of Charlton Heston being interviewed on the set of El Cid.  

BBC Four will also see a Season of Classic Epics, including The Fall of the Roman Empire, El Cid, Land of the Pharaohs and many more.   

More info can be found on the BBC Four Timeshift Programme Page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018jp1v

By Bill Duelly

(Photos copyright Jon Walmsley. All rights reserved.)

For many years I’ve been impressed by the enduring legacy of The Waltons, the hit CBS TV series from the 1970s that lives on in reruns today. There have been reunion movies and a remarkably enduring and enthusiastic fan base. Actress Michael Learned, the female lead of the series, was among other cast members who recently reunited at a 40^th anniversary celebration of the show at the legendary Loew’s Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey. Learned describe the key to the show’s success as “love of family’. The surviving principal cast members, as well as supporting players, really do consider themselves an actual family and keep in close contact, often participating in each other’s personal lives and activities. The Loew’s event was not only a very sentimental reunion of the cast members but it also touched all those fans in attendance, as well.

Ray Castro, who has known many of the cast members for over decades, organized the event. He realized that the year 2011 marked the 40^th anniversary of the telecast of The Homecoming, the classic TV movie that inspired The Waltons. Castro was determined to celebrate the date with a special event and was delighted that cast members were in agreement. The Loew’s proved to be the perfect venue for the event. The wonderful old movie palace had been saved from the wrecking ball years ago and is staffed by a remarkable and enthusiastic group of volunteers. This ‘diamond in the rough’ frequently shows old movies in original 35mm format via carbon arc projectors on a 35 foot screen. The Waltons event included a screening of The Homecoming and a tribute to its star, the late Patricia Neal, a panel discussion and even a few songs; a holiday entertainment treat for a reasonable $20.

Retro's Dave Worrall with magazine contributor Madeline Smith, who starred with Ingrid Pitt in the Hammer horror hit The Vampire Lovers.

By Matthew Field

(Photos all copyright Mark Mawston)

On Wednesday 7th December Riverside Studios - a unique arts and media centre on the banks of the Thames in Hammersmith, London played host to special screening of the Hammer classic The Vampire Lovers.

Screened to celebrate the launch of Dave Worrall and Lee Pfeiffer’s new coffee table tome Cinema Sex Sirens – actress Madeline Smith was on hand to introduce the screening. Based on La Fanu's short story Carmilla, The Vampire Lovers was the first Hammer horror film of the 1970s and broke new ground with its erotic lesbian themes. Addressing the audience Smith amusingly recalled “I got a very worried phone call from the producer who said he was concerned about my lack of bosom. He said 'We like you a lot, but we don't think you are voluptuous enough'. I reassured him, and then I scuttled off to Hornby and Clarke dairy round the corner and I bought every yoghurt I could find and stuffed myself like you might fatten cattle, and it worked!”

Following the screening Dave Worrall was joined by Madeline to autograph copies of the book, which has been listed as one of the best film books of the year by the Evening Standard of London. Lavishly illustrated throughout the book is dedicated to Vampire Lovers star Ingrid Pitt. In attendance was Ingrid Pitt’s widower Tony Rudlin.

(Please note: Cinema Retro's limited, signed and numbered editions of Cinema Sex Sirens are now sold out in the UK. Click here to order from Amazon UK and get an extensive look at the inside of the book.)  A small number of copies are still available through our U.S. office for shipment with America. Click banner ad at top of page for details) 

(For Madeline Smith's memories of making The Vampire Lovers, see her article in Cinema Retro issue #3,available in our back issues section)