We've just received the following from one of favorite directors, Joe Dante, who runs the highly entertaining web site Trailers From Hell:
Here's Edgar Wright's amusing take on the trailer on TFH.
Retro Responds: Thanks for the head's up, Joe...your site continues to provide more entertainment through your presentation of cult trailers than most contemporary feature films do!- Lee Pfeiffer
It is a shame that the UK branch of TCM doesn't often show films as
interesting or varied as Robert Hartford Davis' Corruption (actual
copyright is 1967). It will be interesting to see whether you goes over
the pond get the UK edit, or the much more gory/sexy European cut. The
latter has an extraodinary (no to say offensive) scene where Cushing
attacks a topless woman with a knife, and wipes his bloodied hands all
over her bare breasts after he kills her. He then proceeds to hack off
her head! The only version of this film I have seen was this nastier
edit under the title Laser Killer; a bootleg taken off a substandard
French VHS. Let us all know which edit you guys get?
Rick Curzon
Retro Responds: That's interesting, Rick...I didn't realize there were different versions of the film. As I have it already on DVD, perhaps some stalwart readers will alert us as to which version TCM shows this weekend. - Lee Pfeiffer
Composer David Arnold will introduce a screening of the 1964 James Bond classic Goldfinger in London on Monday, August 2. Director Guy Hamilton is scheduled to be among the guests to discuss the film's legacy. For more click here Hamilton will also be appearing at a BAFTA event in his honor in London on July 31. For ticket info click here
Rory Monteith
Retro Responds: Thanks, Rory- this one is well worth a look. It's certainly got flaws, but it affords the great Cushing the chance to play a role far more interesting than the mad doctors he was often cast as.
The Studio Daily web site has an article that compares the best trailers of today to those of yesteryear - and demonstrates why Psycho and Citizen Kane may well still reign as the best movie coming attractions of all time. Click here to view
The Hollywood Reporter says that California has lost huge sums of revenue, jobs and salaries in recent years due to failure to provide financial incentives for major film productions to shoot in the state. Consequently, other states and nations that provided these incentives have seen major films shot in their locales. The result has been a major exodus of entertainment-related jobs from California, laying the ground work for Hollywood to possibly lose its luster as the center of film industry. Click here for more
M. Night Shyamalan has a fair-sized hit with his latest film The Last Airbender, but it has come at a cost. Critics say that the once-innovative director has traded his innovative ideas for large paychecks and has ground out highly unimaginative films in recent years. In other words, a directorial version of Nicholas Cage. Airbender got the kind of fiercely negative reviews that would make Ed Wood seem like Orson Welles. At a Mexican press conference for the film, he responds to a critic who accuses him of selling out by saying, "I think if I thought like you I'd kill myself. Everything you said is the opposite of my instinct as an artist. The way you just thought, I literally would kill myself." Shyamalan's flak tries to cover for the tasteless answer by fruitlessly trying to engage the audience in a round of applause. Click here to watch
Last month, film historian Bruce Crawford held a special 35th anniversary screening of Jaws in Omaha, Nebraska. Among those attending were screenwriter Carl Gottlieb and Clarence Hupka, a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the legendary and tragic ship that was sunk in the final days of WWII- only to have many of its crew killed by sharks. The incident was memorably woven into the film as the inspiration for Quint's obsession with shark hunting. Click here for photos of the event
The annual Comic-Con in San Diego has become a "must" for movie studios looking to promote their forthcoming action movies. The event draws many thousands of comic and film enthusiasts including those lovable eccentrics who love to mug for the cameras. Click here for the Huffington Post's slide show from the event.
Let's say this for Will Smith- he can certainly bring an original twist to old stories. The superstar is planning on starring as the Biblical bad boy Cain (as in Cain and Abel). The offbeat angle is that Smith is cashing in on the recent craze for vampire films by mixing those legendary monsters in the tale. For more click here
Did you know that Al Pacino and Kurt Russell were considered for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars? Or that Sissy Spacek auditioned for the part of Princess Leia? Click here for many other interesting facts about the early days of Star Wars.
Trinity Square Car Park in Gateshead, England is scheduled for demolition - and legions of retro movies fans are grieving. That's because the parking garage is where a key sequence from Michael Caine's 1971 crime classic Get Carter was filmed. Click here for details
The Redford Theatre in Detroit will present screenings of the classic film noir crime thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice starring John Garfield and Lana Turner. This is a film that defined smoldering sex even in the restrictive age of censorship. Showings are this Friday and Saturday, July 23-24. Click here for details.
Nino Rota
is considered one of the greatest composers of all time.
From composing the music for The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) to the scores for The
Taming of the Shrew (1967) and La Dolce Vita
(1960),
BFI Southbank presents a selection of his films throughout the
month of
September as well as a Nationwide Release of the newly restored film The
Leopard Il Gattopardo (1963). Nino
Rota was one of the most successful of all film composers: prolific,
esteemed
and honoured. Best known internationally for his work with Federico
Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Luchino Visconti and Franco
Zeffirelli, he scored around 160 films, in France, Britain, the USA
and
USSR, as well as melodramas, comedies and genre films at the heart of
popular
Italian cinema. Steeped in classical music (he was Director of the Bari
Conservatory of Music for most of his life), he drew also on a vast
range of
popular, traditional, jazz and folk styles for his scores. Producers
sought him
because he was quick and reliable. Directors wanted him because he had
an
ability to adapt himself to their sensibilities: brilliant and elusive
for
Fellini in films such as 8½ Otto e mezzo
(1963), serious and intellectual for films like Visconti’s White
Nights Le notti bianche (1957), witty and
sentimental/nostalgic for Renato Castellani in È primavera
Spring Is Here (1949) and so on.His
music is touching, catchy and affecting, and yet it is also restrained,
uncommitted, every emotion always tinged with another. He is able – and
supremely with Fellini and Coppola – to convey a dizzying complexity of
feeling
and point-of-view with nonchalance, charm and no fuss. His music is full
of
affection and tenderness towards the world of the film, bringing us
close, very
close; and yet it remains ironic, rueful, creating a very particular
place from
which to watch and listen.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Our friend Nick Sheffo at the terrific Fulvue Drive-In web site has an interesting suggestion for MGM, now that they are providing titles for Criterion's line of special edition Blu-ray titles. As most DVD fans know, Criterion is the gold standard of special editions. Nick suggests ten specific titles that would make excellent collaborative projects between MGM and Criterion. Among them: Midnight Cowboy and The Great Escape. Speaking of the latter, one of Cinema Retro's contributors, Steve Rubin, produced a Criterion special edition laser disc on this title, complete with commentary track by director John Sturges. Sadly, when Criterion lost the rights to The Great Escape, this edition remained largely buried. It would be an excellent idea to use those materials on a new Blu-ray release of the film. For more click here
Click here to view a slide show of the world's tackiest Star Trek tattoos (not that we can imagine any that would look classy!) Before you make the usual assumption that they have been engraved on fat, middle-aged guys who live in their mom's basements, please note that a number of members of the fairer sex are also sporting the bizarre artwork. So for all of you guys who have fantasies about having sex with a woman who is adorned with the likeness of Deforest Kelly, there is hope your dreams may become reality!
Daniel Craig says that when he was filming The Adventures of Tintin, director Steven Spielberg had him outfitted in a skin-tight lycra body suit, a necessity in order to get the special effects required for certain scenes. However, Craig told Spielberg he learned that Clint Eastwood was to visit the set and was too mortified to meet him while clad in this bizarre outfit. For more click here
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from A.M.P.A.S. regarding events taking place in their L.A. locations:
Oscar Noir: 1940s Writing Nominees from Hollywood’s Dark Side
Mondays at 7 p.m., through August 30, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
A
screening
series of film noir classics from the 1940s that were nominated for
Academy
Awards in the writing categories, with a contemporary screenwriter on
hand to
introduce each screening. In August: “Body and Soul,”
“Crossfire,” “A Double Life,” “Kiss of
Death” and “White Heat.” Individual tickets are $5 for
general admission and $3 for students with a valid ID.
Samuel Goldwyn Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
All seating is unreserved.
(310)
247-3600
www.oscars.org
Out of This World: The Science of Space Movies
Thursday, August 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
A fun and educational night using physics concepts to analyze famous scenes from such films as “Apollo 13,” “Contact” and “Star Trek,” with some of the films’ creative teams on hand to explain how scenes were actually created.
Samuel
Goldwyn
Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
All seating is unreserved.
General
Admission
– $5
Students with a valid ID – $3
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
“Woman in the Moon” (1929)
Friday, August 6, 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater
A special screening of Fritz Lang’s silent epic “Woman in the Moon,” which has been cited as one of the most influential science fiction films of its time. Presented as part of the Academy’s three-night program “Out of This World: The Science of Space Movies.”
Linwood
Dunn
Theater
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
All seating is unreserved.
General
Admission – $5
Students with a valid ID – $3
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
The Marc Davis Celebration of Animation: Voices of Character
Thursday, August 19, 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Voice artists, animators and casting executives discuss the unique talents of artists who perform the voices of animated characters.
Samuel
Goldwyn
Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
All seating is unreserved.
General
Admission
– $5
Students with a valid ID – $3
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
Short Films Directed by Chuck Jones
Friday, August 20, 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
A special screening of all nine animated Oscar-nominated and winning shorts directed by Chuck Jones: “For Scent-Imental Reasons,” “The Dot and the Line,” “Mouse Wreckers,” “Beep Prepared,” the documentary short “So Much for So Little” and four more classics.
Samuel
Goldwyn
Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
All seating is unreserved.
General
Admission
– $5
Students with a valid ID – $3
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
Chuck
Jones: An Animator’s Life From A to Z-Z-Z-Z
Open through August 22 in the Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery
Final weeks! An exhibition of the work of Oscar winner and master humorist Chuck Jones, representing his short animated films, features and TV specials, including “What’s Opera, Doc?,” “Elmer’s Candid Camera,” “Beep Prepared,” “Duck Amuck” and many others. Free admission.
The
Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m.
Closed Mondays.
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
The Fantastical Worlds of Ray Harryhausen
Open through August 22 in the Academy’s Fourth Floor Gallery
Final weeks! An exhibition showcasing the work of stop-motion animation and visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen (“It Came from beneath the Sea,” “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” “One Million Years B.C.,” “Clash of the Titans”). Free admission.
The
Academy’s Fourth Floor Gallery
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m.
Closed Mondays.
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
Lost and Found: “Upstream”
Wednesday, September 1, 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
The U.S. re-premiere of “Upstream,” a long-lost 1927 John Ford silent film that was recently discovered in the New Zealand Film Archive. Presented with live musical accompaniment by Michael Mortilla.
Samuel
Goldwyn
Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
All seating is unreserved.
General
Admission
– $5
Students with a valid ID – $3
(310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org
If you couldn't be at Bray Studios' historic Hammer Horror reunion last weekend, Cinema Retro's man on the scene Adrian Smith gives you the low-down:
On August 4, over 150 fans and many Hammer stars and
personnel gathered at Bray Studios on the banks of the River Thames to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of The Curse of Frankenstein. Amongst the guests were writer-director Jimmy
Sangster, director John Hough, Margaret Robinson, the widow of art director
Bernard Robinson, and actors Virginia Wetherell, Madeline Smith, Ingrid Pitt,
Janina Faye, Vera Day, Caroline Munro, Martine Beswicke, Carol Marsh, Yvonne
Monlaur, Valerie Leon, Douglas Wilmer, Damien Thomas, John Cater and Edward de
Souza.
A major new book about the history of Hammer films has just been published. One of Cinema Retro's London correspondents, Adrian Smith, was at the star-studded London book launch and brings you the inside story.
On the 27th October 2007 a crowd of Hammer
film fans gathered at the Cine Lumiere in
Amongst the guests was Jimmy Sangster, who not only
directed and produced some films but also wrote several of those considered
classics, including The Curse of Frankenstein,
The Mummy and Dracula (aka Horror of Dracula). The latter film is
currently being screened theatrically all around the
“I’m amazed (about the re-release of Dracula)! It’s a film we made fifty
years ago. When we were making it it was just another movie. I’m very pleased! I
don’t think Hammer are still going though are they? I haven’t seen the new film
(Beyond the Rave). Why didn’t they
ask me to write it? They should give me a call!”
Also attending was Janina Faye, who was especially
pleased that Never take Sweets From a Stranger
was being screened. Faye starred in this controversial child abuse drama
when she was only ten, having already taken smaller roles with Hammer in Dracula and The Two Faces of Doctor Jekyll. Its depiction of a small town
protecting a known paedophile was too shocking for audiences at the time, and
it was given an X certificate, despite having support from various national
agencies such as The National council of Women, who said “it should be seen by
all parents”. It did not do well commercially, and was banned in several
countries, including
“It was such a huge change from what Hammer used to
do. They had tremendous problems from the BBFC whilst shooting the film. In the
courtroom scene we had to change the dialogue because they weren’t allowed to
say rape. To keep the drama within the cast the director (documentary maker
Cyril Frankel) didn’t tell us what was going on, or what happened to any of us.
I wasn’t allowed to see the film, and didn’t see it until they showed it at the
Barbican (in 2004). I think it’s still an incredible film. It’s so powerful.”
Cinema Retro agrees wholeheartedly, and wishes the film were available on DVD. DD Home Entertainment have announced an R2 release in late 2007, but this is currently looking unlikely due to financial difficulties. We remain hopeful!
Cinema Retro London correspondent Adrian Smith brings us the inside story of the recent reunion of Captain Kronos cast members.
The last
eighteen months has seen an impressive array of Hammer-related film events here
in the
Captain
Kronos: Vampire Hunter is a long forgotten film which was virtually ignored
at the time of its release, even by Hammer themselves. However it has developed
a strong following since becoming available on home video and DVD, and many see
it as one of the strongest entries in the latter end of the Hammer canon,
falling between weaker efforts such as Twins
of Evil and The Satanic Rites of Dracula.
The film
was created and directed by Brian Clemens, best known for his work on TVs The Avengers, and he had also recently
scripted Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde
for Hammer. He has sadly never been asked to direct a film since which is in no
way a reflection of his abilities!
For the
reunion Don Fearney managed to gather the surviving principle actors, including
a rare visit from the star Horst Janson, who is kept very busy on German
television. Fans were delighted to meet Janson along with Brian Clemens,
Caroline Munro, John Cater, William Hobbs, Lois Dane and Lisa Collings. The
queues for autographs lasted well over two hours and circled the lobby of the
Cine Lumiere. The film was screened to rapturous applause, along with Vampire Circus, another favourite with
fans, and Fearney’s new documentary on the Hammer vampire films.
After the
event, Cinema Retro was lucky enough to catch up with Janson, who is still
incredibly handsome after all these years! How did he feel about being at the
event?
“Well I haven’t
seen the film for a long time. It was great to see the film again on a big
screen. It is great especially to see Brian Clemens again, because he is not
the youngest any more! I enjoyed it very much to see all these people again and
to remember the work. We had great fun you know!”
Having been
a very busy actor for many years now, Janson was unaware of how popular the
film had become. “It was never released in
(Read writer Willliam Gagliani's tribute to Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter in issue #9 of Cinema Retro)
By Adrian Smith
Sitting in the plush Screen 1 at the new
BFI Southbank (formerly the National Film Theatre) in
First up was “The Miracle Tea Party”, an
episode of The Saint directed by
Moore himself, featuring such cold-war staples as Soviet spies, nuclear
submarine bases and ingenious assassinations. Oh, and Nanette Newman. It
featured many locations including
Next we were treated with “The Time and the
Place”, a The Persuaders episode
It was an enjoyable experience to see these
shows up on a big screen with an appreciative audience. Before Sir Roger
himself made an appearance we were also shown a short clip from Ivanhoe, the popular TV series that
helped cement
Sir Roger was joined on stage by Cinema Retro’s own Gareth Owen and they spent almost two hours discussing his television career and answering questions from the audience. Owen did a great job of deflecting such inane questions as “Who would win in a fight – The Saint or James Bond?” Sir Roger clearly has an excellent memory, although I imagine his recent visits down memory lane whilst writing his autobiography have probably helped. There were several people in the audience who have worked with him during his career, and he occasionally turned to them to hear their opinions and ask questions. Amongst the guests were the actresses Vera Day and Sylvia Syms, producer Johhny Goodman and film director John Hough.
Sir Roger also told some hilarious stories about his experiences and demonstrated his talents as an impressionist, with spot-on portrayals of both Noel Coward and Lew Grade, amongst others. He discussed the highs and lows of both his television and stage career, and did occasionally touch on Bond, naming his favourite leading lady as Maude Adams, and Grace Jones as his least favourite! If Sir Roger ever decides to retire, which seems unlikely, he could find a second career as an after-dinner speaker and raconteur.
Finally I was honoured to be invited to
meet him once the event was over and was able to present him with an early
birthday present (Sir Roger turned 81 the following day): an original copy of
Picturegoer from 1955 featuring an interview with a new up and coming star
making a film in
Happy Birthday Sir Roger Moore, and thanks for a wonderfully entertaining career!
Ten years ago a
show appeared on British TV that was so strange, so grotesque, so dark, yet so
utterly hilarious that it quickly developed a cult following and a number of
popular catchphrases. It ran to three series and eventually a feature film.
This was the League of Gentlemen, a weird combination of sketch show and sitcom
which clearly took inspiration from old horror movies, detective dramas, sexploitation
comedies, to name but a few. I took the opportunity to pin down the gents in
order to unravel just what their influences were. The conversation immediately
turns to Take an Easy Ride, described
by Mark as almost being a snuff film. This leads to my first question:
Have seventies
snuff films been an influence on you?
M-
Just that one!
Is it available
commercially?
J-
No, its illegal. You risk prosecution! (Although a quick search later uncovers
copies available on Ebay and YouTube)
M-
It purports to be an information film. It’s really a rape exploitation film. It
starts like ‘Charley Says’ then it
just gets ridiculous! It’s horrible.
J-
You realise you are getting old when you talk about these things. I was doing
some work with We Are Klang (UK comedy outfit) and they started talking about ‘Two girls, 1 cup’ and I genuinely hadn’t
heard of it! Imagine that!
Neither have I! A
couple of years ago most of you did a commentary for Blood on Satan’s Claw. How did they know you were fans?
J-
I think we’d mentioned it in one of our commentaries.
R-
We tried to get the claw in a toybox for Daisy Haggard (in their new TV show Psychoville). Her Dad Piers Haggard directed
the film.
M-
Someone sent me a copy of The Frozen Dead.
It only worked once, it was such a bad copy. You know that one with the frozen
Nazis? It virtually doesn’t exist. It was a huge thing. In the horror film
books of the seventies there were these huge colour plates from this film no
one ever saw. It was terrible.
J-
Someone gave me on video a copy of It!,
which was also in those books.
M-
With the golem??
J-
Yes.
That’s just come
out on DVD now with The Shuttered Room.
I don’t know if you’ve seen that, but it’s terrible. It’s got Oliver Reed in
it.
M-
I always think of Beast in the Cellar.
It’s a similar
thing except it’s in an attic.
R-
Dame Aileen Atkins told me she was in an Exorcist
rip-off I said “I Don’t Want to be Born?”
She said “You’ve seen it’? “ Of course I have!” Joan Collins raped by a dwarf?
Brilliant! She couldn’t believe I’d seen it.
Dame
Aileen Atkins. That’s how she got the part in Cranford.
S-
That’s how she got a Dame-hood.
I love that film,
especially where the baby pushes the nanny into the lake.
M-
It’s a horrible thing, that creature.
R-
You had the devil’s child in Crooked
House (recent portmanteau horror film screened on UK TV over Christmas,
written by and starring Mark Gatiss) didn’t you?
M-
Yes, The Devil’s Hand.
You often included
references in your shows to old films, such as the episode Royston Vasey and the Monster from Hell (a reference to Hammer
horror Frankenstein and the Monster From
Hell). Was it to see if people would notice, or to make each other laugh?
M-
We just needed to think of a title.
S-
Do you remember? We actually watched that Frankenstein film, and from that we
thought we should do something with torches. So we said ‘let’s burn the shop
down’. So that storyline came from the film directly.
M-
It’s a good title though isn’t it?
Oh it’s brilliant. It
shouldn’t work but it does! You’ve also worked with people like Freddie Jones
(in the Christmas Special) who of course once played Frankenstein’s monster.
J-
We remembered him more from Children of
the Stones.
S-
And Elephant Man.
M-
We’ve always had that kind of affinity with those films, and getting to work
with various people over the years is sort of like repaying a debt.
J-
David Warner for example. On the film (The
League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse), I couldn’t believe every day there was
David Warner from every film I loved growing up.
M-
One of the strange lessons of that is that he has no affinity with fantasy. You
would think that as a viewer he must love those films. But he just did those
films because that’s what people asked him to do. He’s become a complete genre
hero.
There was such a
dearth of filmmaking in the seventies that a lot of actors had to do whatever
they could to get by.
J-
Except the films were better then!
M-
I was talking to someone the other day, who said that one day he’s going to
corner George Baker and talk about a scene in a grim sexploitation film where
he goes through his collection of vibrators. A long way from Wexford! It’s like when you see people
like John Pertwee turning up in Val Guest rude sex comedies.
A-
Like Au Pair Girls.
M-
Yes.
J-
Those semi-porn films always had amazing casts.
Speaking of which I
noticed you’ve got Christopher Biggins in Psychoville?
R-
We do, yes.
One of my favourite
films of his was Eskimo Nell.
S-
I’ve not seen that one.
J-
That’s one of those mucky films.
It’s a classic!
It’s a really clever film. It’s not just about sex, honest! It’s about a guy
trying to make a film, and it ends up being a porn film by mistake.
S-
Sounds good.
A- Christopher
Biggins is in it, he’s brilliant!
M-
Was he cast in Psychoville because of I:Claudius?
J-
Porridge? Or chiefly Watch This Space?
R-
We tried to fill it with references to Watch
This Space!
When is Psychoville
going to be on?
R-
No idea.
S-
We don’t know. It’s still being edited.
You’re pleased with
it?
S-
Yeah!
R-
We’re just coming to the end of editing episode 5 which is looking very good.
Do you think people
will see it as a sequel to The League of Gentlemen?
S-
I think it’s inevitable. We had a marketing meeting today. They wanted to say
‘From the team who brought you The League
of Gentlemen and we said ‘well not quite’.
Half! But aren’t
people always going to put you all together?
S-
We’re very proud of it!
M-
We owe everything to it. It would be churlish not to.
M-
Inevitably people are going to want to have a peg to hang us on.
Presumably you took
you name from the film ‘The League of Gentlemen’?
M-
Yes!
A favourite or just
a good name?
M-
I think I’d seen it quite recently and it was just a good name.
J-
It is a great film. Very seedy.
Can I ask you about
Sherlock? (It has recently been announced that Mark Gatiss is currently working
on a new series of Sherlock Holmes TV dramas for the BBC.)
M-
Yes.
Is this going to be
in competition with Guy Ritchie?
M-
It’s a coincidence. It always happens. There are always three Robin Hood films
coming out at the same time. The character is still here because he’s been the
most filmed character in all of fiction. There’ll be several more by next year!
There’s no fight involved. Unless Harry Hill does it! This Holmes will be in
the style of the 1940s Sherlock films where he fights the Nazis. We’ve tried to
bring Holmes into the present day.
R
– Does that mean he just Googles everything?!
By Dave Worrall
.
When it comes to
making cameo appearances in movies, Alfred Hitchcock really was the Master.
However, Cinema Retro magazine is hot on his heels after making its television
debut in the new hit BBC television show, “Psychoville”, a seven-part series
currently airing in Britain.
Written by and
starring Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, best known for being part of
“The League of Gentlemen” team, “Psychoville” is a dark character comedy
mystery featuring characters from all over the UK, who each receive a
mysterious letter. The production values are high, the writing excellent, and
Shearsmith and Pemberton prove once again just how extraordinary their acting
talents are, playing not only the leads, but subsidiary roles too. What makes
this series stand out from others is the writing skills of this duo, who are
both self-confessed movie fanatics, and have woven references to many movie murder
mystery classics in the series.
In episode 4,
which aired on july 8th, the creative team paid homage to
Hitchcock’s “Rope”, with the first 20 minutes or so being totally filmed in one
shot as the camera tracks around the actors in an apartment after just
murdering a man and putting him in a trunk in the centre of the room. It is just
brilliant, and a must-see for movie lovers.
So, where do we
come in? Well, throughout the whole show, a copy of Cinema Retro issue 2 lies
on top of the trunk holding the body! Now we know the guys are fans of the
magazine, as you can see from our news item in issue #14, when they met our
reporter Adrian Smith. However, whilst this is our first claim to product
placement, we can assure you no payment was made, although we do hear that Shearsmith and Pemberton are now making perverted sexual demands of our reporters.
Click here for
Adrian’s on-line interview with the team, and catch up with “Psychoville” now –
you will not be disappointed. The show’s web site is at www.bbc.co.uk/psychoville
Web grab images © BBC Television.
Click here to read Adrian Smith's original interview with the League
In
1964 the BBC, as part of their regular “Wednesday Play” series, produced a 90-
minute drama based on the assassination attempt on Hitler in 1944. John Carson
played Col. Claus Schenk Count von Stauffenberg, now best known for being
played by Tom Cruise in Valkyrie. I’ve not seen that, so I can’t compare
them, although I imagine there are a vast number of differences. As a TV play,
as opposed to a filmed drama, this is quite stagey, with a limited number of
studio sets, and some filmed inserts. There is also an awful lot of talking.
However, it is still an excellent production, which benefitted not only from
some outstanding performances, but also a talented director in the German
Rudolph Cartier. He was incredibly experienced in British television, having shot
a number of well known shows including the original live The Quatermass
Experiment a decade earlier.
The
July Plot
is being screened at the BFI in two weeks as part of its “Missing, Believed
Wiped” segment. I was fortunate enough to be at a screening two weeks ago as
part of a John Carson tribute at the Cine Lumiere in London. John himself was
in attendance, and it was exciting to think that nobody, including him, had
seen it for over 40 years.
Rather surprisingly, during the opening credits we follow von Stauffenberg and his briefcase containing the bomb through the various levels of security until he places it besides Hitler. We follow the action immediately afterwards, as his co-conspirators wait for confirmation of Hitler’s death and begin to roll out their plans for the takeover of the military and the police. It is tense stuff, despite the fact that we know Hitler was no more than scratched, due to someone else in the room moving the bomb behind a table leg. It is so frustrating to think that this really happened. If this was a Hollywood movie the plot would have worked and the war would have been over. The play rather poignantly reminds the audience of how many more people died in that final year of the war after von Stauffenberg and his comrades are caught and executed. It’s a sobering thought, and leaves you feeling some of the frustration they no doubt felt when they realised it was all over.
You
can book tickets to see The July Plot
for yourself at the BFI Southbank in London on the 22nd August by clicking here. It’s highly recommended, and it can only be
hoped that following its rediscovery and restoration the BBC will make this
important piece of work available on DVD.
Cinema Retro London correspondent Adrian Smith gives us an advance view of the new Tarantino film.
By Adrian Smith
Back in 1995, I
thought Quentin Tarantino could do no wrong. After the quadruple whammy of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, True Romance
and Natural Born Killers, it seemed
as though he was just about the coolest man on the planet. He even polished the
Crimson Tide script, causing Denzel
Washington to wax lyrical about the Silver Surfer.
However, I managed
to miss Jackie Brown and had no
interest at all in the Kill Bills.
Earlier this year I finally tried Death
Proof, but gave up after half an hour out of sheer boredom. Perhaps I’d
outgrown Tarantino. His constant recycling of older, better movies and juvenile
glee in violence just weren’t for me any more.
Or so I thought.
This evening I
attended a preview of Inglourious
Basterds, as part of the Empire Movie-Con II, held at the BFI in London. No
doubt many of you are aware that there also exists an Italian war film from
1978 of the same name. QT has stated that he only used the title and basic idea
(essentially a re-working of The Dirty
Dozen), and the script was all original. The plot follows the exploits of a
group of American Jewish soldiers in Nazi-occupied
Inglourious Basterds has certainly restored my faith in Tarantino as a
filmmaker. His personal video introduction this evening reminded me that he is
still quite twitchy and irritating, but he does deserve for this film to be a
success. In his version of events it is cinema itself that triumphs over evil,
and the closing line of the film is “I think this could be my masterpiece.” He
could be right.
By Adrian Smith
Although the name Norman J. Warren may not be familiar to some of you, in the UK, amongst cult horror aficionados, his name is synonymous with horror and exploitation. Mostly working in the 1970s, he produced such dubious classics as Satan’s Slave and the Stephanie Beacham-starring Inseminoid.
Moscovitch
Music are a new independent British music label working to release some great
lost film music, and have produced a lavish CD, and limited edition vinyl LP,
featuring the soundtracks to two of Warren’s best loved movies; Terror (1978) and Prey (1977).
The
composer was the classically-trained composer Ivor Slaney, who at the time was
best known for creating orchestral music. He worked with Warren on both films to
create an unusual, experimental sound using mostly electronic instruments. They
also mixed sound effects into the music track on Terror, creating an odd, slightly discomforting experience. This
means that some tracks on the CD contain screams, wind effects, moaning, and
even dialogue. Along with the helpful track names, such as Carol Runs for Her
Life, Blood is Leaking From the Upstairs Room and Orgasmic Stripper, you can
really follow the plot even if you have never seen the film.
Prey, notorious for its
explicit lesbian sex scenes and cannibalism, is a somewhat neglected film, and
so this soundtrack release is very welcome. The music helps recreate the
claustrophobic atmosphere of the film, which essentially revolves around three
people; two lesbians and the alien invader. What begins as a possible love
triangle soon escalates to something altogether more sinister.
This
is a highly recommended release, both for the curious and those fans of 1970s
British horror. I am also reliably informed that Moscovitch are next planning a
release of film score music from the prolific jazz musician and composer John
Scott, which is eagerly anticipated. You can find the CD and vinyl edition on www.moviegrooves.com, click here for the specific page to order from.
The Thirties: An
Intimate History by Juliet Gardiner
Published by
Harper Press 2010
Hardcover 944
pages
Review by Adrian Smith
On 31st
December 1929 over 1000 children, unaccompanied by adults, packed into The Glen
Cinema in Paisley, Scotland to watch a short Tom Mix western, some cartoons and
The Crowd, an epic silent movie
directed by King Vidor. Shortly after the programme started, and the natural
rowdiness and noise began to die down, some of the children noticed smoke
coming from the projection booth. The scream of “Fire!” caused major panic, and
as the auditorium filled with both smoke and carbon monoxide there was a rush
to the exits. Unfortunately the main exit had been firmly locked by the owners
to prevent children from letting their friends in without paying. When the
rescue operation was finally over 71 children were dead and many more ill or
injured. This was the worst kind of tragedy to befall a small community, and it
happened in a cinema.
This incredible
story is used by Gardiner to open her fascinating new book on the social
history of Britain as it went from prosperity to recession and into an
inescapable World War. Although this book falls somewhat outside the main focus
of Cinema Retro, it contains an insightful chapter on the development of film
exhibition throughout the decade, and the growth of the “Picture Palaces” or
“Dreamlands” across the country. She quotes some unbelievable statistics that
would make any studio executive today weep with envy: in 1934 903 million cinema tickets were sold in Britain, and this had risen to over
990 million by 1939. This was an average of almost 20
million every single week. Compare that to the UK box office figures for 2009 -
a mere 173.5 million. By 1938 there were nearly 5000 cinemas with some towns
having over 100 each. There are some wonderful descriptions which put our
modern multiplexes to shame. She notes the Astoria in Brixton which was built
like an indoor fantasy of trailing vines, antique statues and a ceiling which
changed like the sky from dawn to dusk, to starry night. As if that wasn’t
enough they scented the auditorium with Yardley’s Lavender perfume. Others were
designed to look like Egyptian pyramids, Baronial halls or mermaid’s palaces.
To top it off, when the audience took their seats they were first entertained
by a man in a white suit rising from the well of the cinema playing popular
tunes on a translucent, flashing, multi-coloured electric organ.
By Adrian Smith
If you’re in
London during the next two weeks, be sure to check out this fabulous new
festival and exhibition based on Hammer’s legendary horror films.
Several
Hammer-related guests were in attendance, including Paul Cole, John Hough, Lois
Dane, Madeline Smith, Vera Day and Valerie Leon. The latter were also there to
help promote the new book Hammer Glamour by Marcus Hearn. Hearn has co-curated
the exhibition, which is well worth a look. Also in attendance was the CEO of
the new Hammer, Simon Oakes.
Sadly, by the time
Cinema Retro found the venue, hidden down some of the scariest back streets in
East London, most of these guests had moved on to a secret party somewhere, but
we did manage to catch up with the still glamorous Vera Day. She is best known
for her starring roles in Quatermass II
and some of the Hammer comedies. It was also fun to chat with Paul Cole, who
enjoyed telling us about his appearance in Carry
on Teacher, before moving into television production.
By Adrian Smith
Over the last thirty years Taschen have consistently produced some of the most lavish and eye-catching photography books ever published. This latest book, Los Angeles: Portrait of a City by Jim Heimann and Kevin Starr, covers the history of L.A in photos, from the first known picture taken in 1862 through to the present day. Whilst those first few chapters of photos and maps are interesting, particularly to historians, for movie fans the real gold comes later on. There are photos reproduced here from a variety of collections, from personal archives to news media. There are even pictures taken by the actors themselves, such as this one that Dennis Hopper took in his car in 1961.
In the
book you can see Edward G. Robinson in reflective mood as he sits surrounded by
memorabilia in his office, or a bikini-clad Jayne Mansfield reclining in a pool
with dozens of floating toy replicas. We can even be present at the first
Academy Award ceremony in 1929. Some photos depict film making in its early
silent days. It’s incredible to see the elaborate indoor/ outdoor sets built to
ensure they captured as much light as possible, and it demonstrates that even
then, like modern-day movie sets, there are always plenty of people standing
around with no evident job role. There are also on set photos from some Busby
Berkeley musicals, demonstrating the amazing set design and vast camera cranes
needed to capture the choreographed action.
Ray
Harryhausen: Myths and Legends
By
Adrian Smith
On the 29th June one of the world’s most legendary filmmakers celebrated his 90th birthday. To coincide with this, the London Film Museum is hosting a brand new exhibition devoted to the great man himself. Cinema Retro was fortunate enough to attend the event and join in the birthday celebrations, alongside such notable guests as John Landis, Terry Gilliam, Peter Jackson and special effects guru Rick Baker.
Gilliam
was very clear at to why he was in attendance. “I’ve been a fan, like most
people, especially my generation I think, because we grew up with his monsters,
his creatures, his Greek mythology even. What I love about him is his handiwork.
It’s not digital, with teams of people doing it. It’s Ray giving life to these
things. That’s why I think this stuff works. It’s a performance. There’s
something about that kind of handiwork that I just find extraordinary. It’s not
real, and it seems to trigger off all sorts of childhood fantasies. You see
something that’s clearly not real, but totally believable at the same time. We
know that stuff is clay and rubber and stuff, and suddenly it’s given life.
It’s magic!” So with all that said, will Gilliam be using stop motion in his
next project, the much-anticipated The
Man Who Killed Don Quixote? “No, I’m using computers! I need things done
quickly and cheaply!”
After
Ray had cut the ribbon in front of a wall of cameras we went into the
exhibition itself. The first thing you see is a recreation of King Kong atop
the Empire State Building. Although Ray Harryhausen is the main focus of this
exhibition, he was keen to ensure that it presented a history of the animation
art form as well. After all he has recently co-written a hugely informative
book on the subject, A Century of Model
Animation. Ray happily posed for photos, alongside his wife Diana and
daughter Vanessa. At one point a spontaneous singalong of Happy Birthday broke
out.
The era when Americans tuned in to their favorite late night comedy/chat show may be nearing an end. Ratings have plummeted recently for David Letterman, Jay Leno and other iconic TV talk show hosts, indicating that they are falling victim to many competing forms of entertainment, as well as disinterest from younger audiences who tend not to follow structured viewing patterns. Although Leno is still nominally the king of late night, his ratings have fallen significantly since NBC's ill-advised debacle in which his show was moved to prime time. For more click here
By Lee Pfeiffer
We generally don't dwell on average celebrity scandals but even by sordid Hollywood standards, the Mel Gibson affair continues to shock and appall. Radar On Line has released new information that alleges Gibson not only beat up his lover Oksana Grigorieva in front of her terrified 12 year-old son, but also drew a pistol and threatened to kill them both along with himself. Gibson laced his threats with a string of shocking profanities and at one point prior to the confrontation, so terrified a nanny that the woman took Gibson's infant daughter and hid in a bedroom. Gibson is now under police investigation. His few defenders have alleged that Grigorieva is exaggerating the situation in order to wring maximum dollars from the Oscar-winner, but as the drip-drip-drip of incriminating evidence and audio tapes becomes public, Gibson finds himself increasingly isolated. One thing is certain: this is shaping up as one of the most notorious film industry scandals in history and, unless some major evidence emerges that negates the allegations against him, industry pundits are predicting that Gibson's career has been irreparably damaged. For more click here
Director George Miller is planning to shoot two new Mad Max films back-to-back, thus reviving his successful franchise from the 1980s. Mel Gibson was rumored to be interested in making a cameo, but that was before his latest temper tantrum resulted in the kind of horrendous press that could cause him to go into another extended hibernation. For more click here
CINEMA RETRO presents this links page of sites that may be of interest to our readers.
Please note that our company is not affiliated with any of these sites or companies, but we do feel you will find a visit to each of them well worth your time.
We've got plenty of readers Down Under and they might be interested in visiting the All About Movies web site, which offers a plethora of movie collectibles and research information. Here's a description provided by the site's founder, Ben Wadley:
All About Movies started as a concept that led to a business offering Movie Posters and Films from one website. Over the years it has expanded with the advent of DVD & Blu-Ray. Our site is unique as it is the only website in Australia that lists every title ever released onto Video or DVD here in Australia – 72,000 titles and growing. It is kind of like the Australian Version of IMDB except it relates to what the public have been able to own and can do so now – films on Video or DVD. For those films that are no longer on Video or DVD, we offer a search service where we try to track copies down for the public. Of course the memorabilia side of things is growing with over 2000 items up for sale and many more to be listed. The products include One Sheet Posters / Daybills and lobby cards. We also offer reprints for those on a budget.
Click here to visit the site
Englewood,
Colo., July 19, 2010
– Dennis Hopper - a true Hollywood icon and Renaissance man will be
remembered on Starz Edge, Thursday, July 29 beginning at 8:00 p.m.
(et/pt). The
Academy Award® nominated
actor,
director, artist and photographer who passed away on May 29th, recently
received
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and currently has a retrospective
of his
artistic work at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He
starred for
two seasons as legendary record producer Ben Cendars on Starz’s first
original drama series “Crash.” Starz Edge will show five
episodes from the show, supplemented by interviews with Hopper and
“Crash” cast members. In addition, his photography and art
will be shown as well as remembrances from some of his longtime friends. In a career that
spanned over
half a century, Dennis Hopper bridged the gap between old and new
Hollywood,
working with actors such as James Dean, Marlon Brando, Sean Penn, Viggo
Mortensen and directors like George Stevens, Nicholas Ray, David Lynch,
Francis
Coppola, Tony Scott and Julian Schnabel, who is the curator of his Los
Angeles show. His first directing effort Easy Rider forever
changed the history and direction of the independent film.
Author Sam Wasson's new book Fifth Avenue, 5A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffanys and the Dawn of the Modern Woman is winning praise for his innovative examination of the legacy created by Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly in the 1960 film of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffanys. Wasson makes the case that the character represented an important step forward for the image of the new,independent woman. Writer Patricia Zohn interviews him about the book and the film. Click here to read
Click here to order book from Amazon
Click here to view some rare home movies featuring John Wayne enjoying boating activities and greeting fans. The films were apparently made in the early 1970s.
Click here to view a clever short film that utilizes great animation along with Alfred Hitchcock's voice as he humorously describes the definition of the legendary "McGuffin".
John McTiernan, who directed such hits as The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard and the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair, is facing up to one year in jail after pleading guilty earlier this week to charges in a racketeering case that has been mesmerizing the Hollywood community for years. McTiernan was involved in hiring a private detective to illegally wiretap a fellow producer. Click here for more
If you think your love life is a mess consider this: Oksana Grigorieva is the woman embroiled in the high-profile Mel Gibson scandal. She's the former girlfriend who bore Gibson's child and audio taped his expletive-filled tirades. Turns out she's also the ex-g.f of another heartthrob, former James Bond Timothy Dalton - and she's had an out-of-wedlock child with him as well. Unlike her relationship with Gibson, however, Oksana says she's on great terms with Dalton, who is active in raising their child together. Dalton has been supportive of her during the Gibson scandal. Just call it James Bond vs. Mad Max. Click here for more
BY JOHN EXSHAW
With the death of Aldo Sanbrell, who passed
away in Alicante last Saturday (10 July), aged 79, another link to the great
days of Italian film-making – and the Italian Western, in particular – has been
lost. The only actor to appear in all of Sergio Leone’s Westerns, Aldo was the
most prominent and recognisable of all those mean-looking hombres who rode the badlands and bit the dust of Almería in those
far-off days when southern Spain was the Wild West – Italian style. Asked once
by a British director if he “knew how to die,” Aldo replied, “Oh yes, señor, I
have been killed in many film fights here in Almería. I have died for Clint
Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, George Scott . . . I have made 185
films and I have been killed in all of them. Yes, I know how to die.”
Aldo’s most memorable performances were as
the hapless gang member, Cuchillo, framed and gunned down by Gian María
Volonté’s Indio in For a Few Dollars More
(1965), and as Mervyn Duncan, the Indian-hating scalp hunter of Sergio
Corbucci’s Navajo Joe (1966). In the
latter film, Sanbrell made an indelible impression in the opening sequence,
gunning down an innocent squaw and then scalping her, his nostrils flaring with
hate and bloodlust as his men launch a murderous assault on a peaceful Indian
tribe. Having snarled, flogged, and killed his way through the rest of the
film, Duncan finally receives his just desserts, dispatched with a tomahawk in
the head hurled by a bewigged Burt Reynolds. A year later, Corbucci gave Aldo
another showy, though less significant, role as a sword-wielding bandido in The Hellbenders.
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Legendary film critic Roger Ebert denounced video games in a recent blogpost and was inundated with thousands of complaints. Ebert's opinion that video games can never be considered art caused a back-lash among gamers who got him to apologize (well, sort of.) Ebert admitted he should not have commented on video games since he is largely unfamiliar with them. He also conceded that, to fans of the format, something approaching art can be achieved. However, he says he will never be among them. Ironically, Ebert and his former At the Movies co-host Gene Siskel, would occasionally play video games on their show. For more and to view a vintage clip of Siskel and Ebert playing a video game, click here
The Huffington Post presents a bizarre slide show of various examples of fan art - and each piece is disturbing in its own unique way. From Michael Jackson meeting with Jesus to Batman pregnant with Superman's child, the choice is yours as to which one generates the biggest "EEEwwww....!" factor. Click here to view
By Lee Pfeiffer
Here's a tidbit to give conservatives who always complain that the left wing controls all content of Hollywood films: one of the industry's leading liberals, producer/director Aaron Sorkin is bringing the sex scandal relating to fellow liberal John Edwards to the big screen. The project is a rat's nest of "he-said, he-said" that's based on a book by Edwards' former aide Andrew Young. Both men are admitted liars, but that only makes their sordid tale even more compelling. Edwards was the former senator and candidate for Vice President and President who ran on a squeaky clean image, espousing family values. That is, until it was revealed that he was having an affair with a documentary film maker, while his wife Elizabeth was coping with battling terminal cancer. Edwards litany of lies kept building until he recently admitted his lover gave birth to their child. Young was embroiled early in the scandal by willingly pretending he had fathered the child - and had his wife's consent to do so! Adding to the rogue's gallery atmosphere is Elizabeth Edwards, the sympathetic victim who has since split from her husband. Elizabeth so desired to be the First Lady that she attempted to cover up John's infidelities - even though she realized that if he had been elected president, the scandal could have brought down the Democratic party and the presidency itself. It's rare for a person committed to a political ideology like Sorkin is to shed the spotlight on the sordid aspects of someone he once considered a viable candidate - but then there is no aspect of this scenario that isn't perplexing. Here's a suggestion for the title: Liar, Liar - oh, drat- we just remembered Jim Carrey already used that one. Click here for more
Peter Fernandez, who provided the voice for the title character in the cult 1960s Japanimation TV series Speed Racer, has died at age 83. Fernandez also wrote the famous title song for the series. He was associated with other well-known Japanese animation series and even made a cameo in the 2008 big screen live action version of Speed Racer. For more click here
Edward Norton, the most recent actor to play The Incredible Hulk onscreen, won't be portraying the not-so-jolly green giant in the film adaptation of Marvel Comics' The Avengers about an all-star team of superheroes. Although Norton fancies himself a purist when it comes to his love and respect for the Hulk character, Marvel obviously feels the temperamental actor was just too much of a problem on the last film. The company took pains to issue a statement that doesn't leave much doubt as to why they intend to cast another actor in the role, citing their desire to have a more "collaborative" person as part of the production. Ouch! For more click here