Celebrating Films of the 1960s & 1970s - Entertainment News

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YVONNE CRAIG!

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:47:37 -0500

Artist Pete Emslie of the Cartoon Cave web site provides yet another impressive tribute to a pop culture favorite- Batgirl herself, Yvonne Craig, who celebrates her birthday today. Keep 'em coming, Pete! Click here for more of Pete's tribute to Yvonne.

ROME: FROM REEL TO REAL

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:25:00 -0500

The Trevi Fountain figured famously in Fellini's classic La Dolce Vita with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg.

Rome has been the backdrop to some iconic films over the years, but its real heyday was between the 1950s and 1960s, when classics such as Roman Holiday were shot in and around the city centre. Even today, the locations used are considered to be points of pilgrimage for any self-respecting retro film fan, from the Trevi Fountain to the Colosseum, especially as 2013 marks the 60^th anniversary of Roman Holiday hitting our screens.

The easiest way to track down the real life places behind the celluloid is to create your own walking tour, so that you can spend as long as you like at each spot; just use the Rome film map from lowcostholidays.com and dive straight into the sights to plan your own route. Here’s your guide to each of the retro pictures that made the map.

Roman Holiday (1953)

It’s the film that launched Audrey Hepburn; her first leading role, which saw her playing a princess from an unnamed European country who was determined to explore Rome whilst on a royal visit. With Gregory Peck as her guide, she went to the Mouth of Truth, the Spanish Steps and Ponte Sant’Angelo. You can still see the key locations today, but one of the highlights is the Roman Forum, where our main characters meet. There’s no longer a road through the middle of it, but you can still explore the crumbling Arch of Septimus Severus, where Audrey (as Princess Ann) is found asleep.

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Aside from the continuity gripe of only two – not three – coins being thrown into the fountain from the title, this 50s film is perfect viewing for anyone who wants to see vintage Rome in all its glory, through the eyes of three American ex-pats. Right from the start, with establishing shots of St. Peter’s and the Tivoli Gardens, we’re treated to picture-perfect views. The Colosseum is a stopping point on a whistle-stop tour of one character’s city recommendations, along with a branch of the National Museum.

La Dolce Vita (1960)

The Trevi Fountain’s most memorable cinema appearance was when Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni climbed in together during a night-time stroll. Sadly you can’t recreate the moment these days, as bathing isn’t actually allowed, but you can relive the magic by visiting after dark, to avoid the huge crowds. Further afield, take a trip to the Baths of Caracalla and see where film star Sylvia (played by Ekberg) danced in front of the press and her fiancé.

As well as the locations used as a backdrop to certain scenes, you can also track down one of director Federico Fellini’s biggest local inspirations – Harry’s Bar, on the Via Veneto, which was a hotspot for celebrities back in the 60s. In the film itself, the popular street was entirely recreated in the studio, but today it would be a lot easier to shoot footage here, as the Via Veneto isn’t considered to be part of Rome’s social scene anymore and is relatively quiet.

Aside from those greats, there were hundreds of films made at the nearby Cinecittà Studios, which is on the outskirts of the city and was built by Mussolini. This is the perfect place to continue your cinematic tour, where you can find out how epics such as Ben-Hur and Cleopatra were made on the sprawling set. Head to Cinecittà by using the Metro system and then enjoy a set and on-site museum tour, which will set you back €15.

Pay tribute to Italy’s most cinematic city and discover the locations behind the iconic scenes; you’ll soon see why directors couldn’t keep away from Rome.

THE INTERNATIONAL AL JOLSON SOCIETY

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:15:00 -0500

The man himself may be long gone, but Al Jolson's immortal contributions to music and cinema are still being celebrated by the thriving International Al Jolson Society. Their official web site allows fans from around the world to share in all aspects of Jolson's career and you can listen to some of his most enduring musical accomplishments. An annual membership in the Society brings even more benefits. This year's convention of Jolson fans will take place in Palm Springs May 16-19 (the location varies every year). There will also be a Jolson festival on Long Island in August (date to be announced). The web site has over 1.5 million hits to date, indicating there's still plenty of life left in Jolson mania.

Click here to visit site

STUDIOCANAL LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR MISSING "WICKER MAN" FOOTAGE

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 11 May 2013 05:33:00 -0500

STUDIOCANAL LAUNCHES WORLDWIDE APPEAL TO RETRIEVE ORIGINAL MISSING FILM MATERIALS FOR HORROR CLASSIC THE WICKER MAN:

40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION TO RESURRECT AND RESTORE FOR UK CINEMA AUDIENCES

LONDON, UK, 30th April 2013 – STUDIOCANAL, with the endorsement of director Robin Hardy, today launched a world-wide public appeal to locate original film materials relating to legendary horror classic THE WICKER MAN, originally released in 1973, in celebration of the cult film's 40th anniversary.

2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the THE WICKER MAN'S original release. In celebration of this and continuing its project to conserve, restore and release for future generations the best of Classic British cinema, STUDIOCANAL today announces its intention to release the most complete version of the film possible. The now widely lauded film was released with minimal promotion in 1973 as second feature of a double bill with Don’t Look Now. The version exhibited to audiences was significantly shorter than director Robin Hardy's original vision. In what has now become an apocryphal episode in British film history, the negatives disappeared from storage at Shepperton Studios, were then allegedly used as landfill in the construction of the nearby M4 motorway, and are considered lost forever.

STUDIOCANAL are now appealing worldwide to film collectors, historians, programmers and all-round fans to support the campaign and come forward with any information relating to the potential whereabouts of original materials.

Director Robin Hardy comments: "I never thought that, after forty years, they would still be finding lost fragments of my film, We thought all of The Wicker Man had gone up in flames, but fragments keep turning up and the hunt goes on!"

STUDIOCANAL General Manager UK Home Entertainment John Rodden adds: "The Wicker Man is not only a great horror film, it is a true classic that grows in stature as the years pass. We’re now appealing to the public to help us create the most definitive version possible.”

A special facebook page has been created to serve as a forum for the search to continue. For further updates and to join the conversation with any news please visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wicker-Man/

More details about the history of the various cuts of the film are below.

THE WICKER MAN: A SHORT HISTORY:

In 1973, Robin Hardy’s debut film THE WICKER MAN fell victim to a boardroom takeover at distribution company British Lion, and had its release temporarily shelved. A finished version of the film that director Hardy was happy with had been delivered with a running time of 102 minutes.

When it did finally reach UK cinemas that year, with little fanfare or promotion, and as part of a Double Bill with DON’T LOOK NOW, 15 minutes had been cut, leaving the film’s running time a trim 88 minutes. Director Robin Hardy and the other filmmakers had not been involved and did not approve of this new version.

A few years later when Hardy tried to track down his original version, he was told that all the negative trims from it that had been stored at Shepperton Studios had been thrown away, and the only “original negative” was now the 88-minute version. He finally managed to ascertain that Cult US Director Roger Corman still had a print of the full-length version, and this was used for the US theatrical release. Corman’s print has been missing since the 1980’s and only poor quality 1” video material is known to exist of this version.

HOLLYWOOD DISCOVERS GOLD IN BABY BOOMERS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:19:00 -0500

Harrison Ford and Chad Boseman in "42", a surprise boxoffice hit.

Hollywood studios, long criticized for catering almost exclusively to young audiences, is discovering that if they release intelligent fare aimed at older audiences, they will be rewarded with boxoffice gold. In recent years, films that feature the usual big action sequences, boring special effects and low-brow comedy have been rivaled by some highly praised films aimed squarely at baby boomers and senior citizens. Case in point: last week's strong opening for 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic that top-lines 70 year old Harrison Ford, who now refers to himself as a "character actor". For more click here

HARRISON FORD IS FUNNY! WATCH HIM IN JIMMY KIMMEL "STAR WARS" ROUTINE

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:05:00 -0500

Harrison Ford isn't generally known to be a ball of laughs in interviews. He plays the good soldier and makes the circuit to promote his latest film (in this case, the new Jackie Robinson biopic). However, he generally appears to enjoy the process as much as enduring a root canal. However, on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he engaged in a spirited and very funny routine in which he confronts some eccentric Star Wars fans- and is uncomfortably reunited with a certain alien. Click here to view

NEW "STAR WARS" FILMS TO ARRIVE ANNUALLY BEGINNING IN 2015

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:32:00 -0500

Disney isn't wasting any time capitalizing on their costly purchase of the Star Wars franchise. The studio has announced that, beginning in 2015, a new Star Wars film will arrive annually. Some will be new series based on various characters from the franchise. For more click here

CARL REINER: A PERSONAL TRIBUTE BY EDDY FRIEDFELD

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:59:30 -0500

Eddy Friedfeld, Carl Reiner and Fran Zigman. (That's Mel Brooks on the phone). (Photo: Karen Caesar.)

By Eddy Friedfeld

The late great Larry Gelbart once said about his friend and colleague, the still great Carl Reiner: “Carl Reiner and my maid have a lot in common- they both abhor a vacuum.” Having spent time with Mr. Reiner, I can attest that Mr. Gelbart was spot on.

His newly released autobiography, I Remember Me, is a very entertaining and wonderful and inspiring collection of anecdotes. His third biography, following My Anecdotal Life and How Paul Robeson Saved My Life and Other Mostly Happy Stories, is a collection of funny and poignant, and extremely well-crafted stories range from friends and family, including his late wife of 65 years, Estelle (whose When Harry Met Sally iconic line “I’ll have what she’s having,” rated ahead of Humphrey Bogart’s Casablanca close “This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” on the AFI list of all-time great movie lines,), to famous friends and acquaintances, including Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, George Burns, Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, Ernie Kovacs, Gregory Peck, Julie Andrews, and Dinah Shore.

A regular at bi-monthly dinner parties at Sid Caesar’s home in Beverly Hills organized by producers Fran and Lou Zigman, Reiner read from his new book, extolling Caesar’s gifts as the best sketch comedy performer that ever lived, and talked about being creative with Brooks. When prompted by Estelle Harris (Seinfeld’s Mrs. Costanza), who is as warm and friendly as her Seinfeld counterpart was tough and overbearing, he said that he saw himself as the ultimate master of ceremonies: “As child I loved movies so much that when I saw one I really liked I gave a friend money to go see it.”

With all due respect to the master, he undersold himself. He is an Agent Provocateur of creativity and comedy. He makes everything and everyone he interacts with smarter, funnier, and better.

He understands the fundamental art of storytelling and how to share a stage. An actor, writer, director and producer, he is the consummate partner; a chronic comedy enabler: From Caesar’s comedic foil, to Brooks Two Thousand Year Old Man partner, to The Dick Van Dyke Show’s creative force, to Steve Martin’s early film collaborator, and to anyone whom he happens to be in a room with at the time, his kinetic energy is uplifting.

He enters Caesar’s home with Mel Brooks, his oldest friend, his partner in creative crime, with whom he has a palpably enviable and inspiring bond. They are the Butch and Sundance Kid of comedy, both comedic alchemists, creating funny lines, images and situations literally from the air spinning their golden wit and entertaining and energizing everyone around them.

Indefatigable, his energy level would make Seal Team Six tired. There is a deceptive effortlessness with which he creates. It belies years of training and even more years of passionate pursuit of craft. He will turn a conversation into a riff or a small sketch. And for the self-proclaimed tone-deaf man who once needed an entire orchestra to back him up for a one line of musical song- and missed it, he is a virtuoso at the music of comedy, and its innate rhythms and vibrations. He is a pleasure to watch in action. When actress Diane Ladd came over to his table during dinner and said, “please don’t get up,” he responded with dignity and velocity: “I am up. I am just not standing.”

At 91, he still stands over six feet tall. Distinguished looking, and a stylish and dapper dresser, he could easily pass for a retired lawyer or banker. There is a decided dignity that is coupled with a mischievous spark in his eyes. He is studying the room, stealthily casing it like a creative cat burglar, mining it for ideas, talent and potential laughter: He is going figure out how to make you laugh, you just don’t know it yet. And you are not just going to laugh- you are going to be an active participant in the party. His Raison d'être is to bring out the best in you.

At another dinner party, he produced a ceramic mug he received from the Off-Broadway show Old Jews telling Jokes. Seeing an opportunity, he turned the mug into a prop and a tradition; a faux microphone- whomever it was passed to was required to tell an old joke. From contemporaries Dick Van Dyke and Monty Hall, to later generations of comedians and actors, including Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna, Richard Lewis and Roastmaster General Jeffrey Ross, and guests who never told a joke on stage or for money, each of whom took the cup, got up and executed a joke with equal fervor and gusto, encouraged by his spirit.

At one of the dinners, I showed the group a segment of an episode of NBC’s Producers’ Showcase from 1954 which had a satire of "Meet the Press" called "Beat the Press." Caesar was in his Professor character the purported expert on everything, with Reiner playing the earnest reporter interviewing him about subjects ranging from mountain climbing to the pyramids, and was being quizzed by real-life journalists Lawrence Spivak, H.V. Kaltenborn, and Emanuel Freedman.

The clip prompted a recollection from Reiner that he was on the Jack Paar Show with Radio Foreign Correspondent H.V. Kaltenborn who talked about meeting Adolph Hitler during World War II. “Hitler had such a warm relationship with his dogs, he was so kind to them,” he recalled Kaltenborn saying.

To which Reiner interjected: “Do you recall his relationship with the Jews?” The story got resounding applause from the dinner party. Reiner said that Paar’s audience had a similar reaction and that the reporter couldn’t recover from the resounding applause to make another point.

He has given me both advice and friendship over the years, graciously sharing stories and wisdom. Excited that I introduced my NYU film class to Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, he said: “It’s the most fun I ever had making a picture. We spent six months editing clips from old Film Noir movies finding clips we could use. The name Rigby Reardon (Steve Martin’s character) came from lines from other movies uttered by Charles Laughton and Humphrey Bogart.” Showing him original programs from Your Show of Shows prompted a story about how Bob Hope produced his first national television special using the Show of Shows cast and crew, including Reiner.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” he once said to me. “Fried-feld. You don’t need both.”

(Cinema Retro Contributor Eddy Fried(feld) teaches comedy and film history at Yale and NYU)

Click here to order Carl Reiner's I Remember Me from Amazon

SCHWARZENEGGER AND STALLONE TEAM FOR "ESCAPE PLAN"

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:31:00 -0500

With 1980s screen icons back in style, we're actually kind of excited over the prospects for Escape Plan, which pairs Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Formerly titled The Tomb, Entertainment Weekly describes the movie this way: "Stallone stars in the film as a brilliant prison architect who has to break out of the world’s greatest prison with Schwarzenegger, and presumably they do indeed conceive some kind of “plan” for their putative “escape.” The film also stars Jim Caviezel, 50 Cent, Sam Neill, and Vinnie Jones." In the photo above, the former Governator looks particularly cool. The flick will be released in North America in September. For more click here

NEW MOVIE POSTER WEB SITE CELEBRATES CLASSIC BRITISH FILM POSTERS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:23:00 -0500

Mike Bloomfield of moviepostermem.com is pleased to announce the launch of a new website www.fiskenposter.com This website is dedicated to a single owner collection of movie posters. We're showcasing posters in the collection & trying to explain something about the artists behind the posters & the market in general. Hopefully people will enjoy browsing & find it a useful resource base. Of course, if you have any posters that you think would fit into the collection. please contact me on info@fiskenposter.com

(For a special tribute article to the legendary British movie poster artist Tom Chantrell, see Cinema Retro issue #25)

CLINT EASTWOOD MAY DIRECT "JERSEY BOYS"

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:50:00 -0500

With his long-planned remake of A Star is Born seemingly stalled, Clint Eastwood appears to be looking at another big screen musical: the movie adaptation of the Broadway smash hit Jersey Boys. The play tells the story of the meteoric rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to the top of the American pop charts in the 1960s. The show received widespread acclaim for not simply presenting a catalog of the group's greatest hits, but for also showing many of the unsavory, behind-the-scenes aspects of Valli's career and personal life. This would be Eastwood's first foray into the musical genre since the ill-fated 1969 big budget Paint Your Wagon in which he starred with Lee Marvin and Jean Seberg, although this time, he would be behind the cameras. For more click here

CHEVY CHASE AND BEVERLY D'ANGELO BEING WOOED FOR "VACATION" FILM RELAUNCH

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:57:39 -0500

Plans are going forward to relaunch the National Lampoon 'Vacation' film series that was all the rage in the 1980s. Christina Applegate and Ed Helms will star. Producers are in negotiations with the films' original stars, Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo to reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold, though their appearance is being planned as a cameo throwback to the original series. For more click here

THE CINEMA'S HUNKIEST CAVEMEN

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:34:00 -0500

By Lee Pfeiffer

We straight guys have spent inordinate amount of hours drooling over scantily-clad cavegirls in B movies. Seems only fair that gay guys can exercise the same right when it comes to cavemen. Inspired by a new scientific theory that there may have been gay cavemen, writer Chris Eggersten cobbled together a slide show of "Ten Hot Cavemen Who Can Club Us Anytime!" From Victor Mature to Brendan Fraser to Robert Vaughn, click here to view the slide show

ENNIO MORRICONE SAYS HE'LL NEVER WORK WITH TARANTINO AGAIN

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:42:00 -0500

Although he has collaborated with Quentin Tarantino on several films, legendary composer Ennio Morricone says he will never team with the mercurial director again. Morricone accuses Tarantino of lumping music into his films "without coherence". He is especially miffed that, after he declined to compose a score for Django Unchained, Tarantino simply used a previous Morricone composition in the film. Morricone, who is not known for personal restraint when it comes to expressing his opinion, says that he didn't care for the Oscar-winning Western, saying there was "too much blood." Click here for more

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TIM BURTON'S SUPERMAN MOVIE?

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:21:00 -0500

Although not intended to be seen by the public, costume test photos of Nicolas Cage were leaked to the web, resulting in mockery by fans of the notion Cage could be a credible Superman. This, along with other factors, may have led to Warner Brothers pulling the plug on the Tim Burton production.

It was announced with great fanfare. Back in 1998, a theatrical blockbuster titled Superman Lives was to go into release through Warner Brothers with red-hot Tim Burton in the director's chair and Nicolas Cage starring as the legendary D.C. Comics hero. Kevin Smith would be among those contributing to the screenplay. Then, after sinking $30 million into the heavily-hyped production, Warners pulled the plug on the film. The exact reasons remain murky and now an independent filmmaker, Joe Schnepp, is raising funds on-line for a documentary about the Supey would-be blockbuster that never was. Many people attribute the cancellation of the film to the failure of the mega-budgeted Batman and Robin, which also sunk that franchise for a number of years before it was revitalized by director Christopher Nolan. Burton himself theorized that his version of Superman may have been deemed "too dark", a notion he now finds ironic, given the overwhelmingly depressing mood of the Nolan Batman movies. Superman spawned two major hit films in 1978 and 1980 for Warner Brothers. Both starred Christopher Reeve. The third Reeve film, Superman III, released in 1983, was successful but turned off fans with its silly storyline featuring Richard Pryor. A relatively low-budget 1987 flick sub-titled The Quest for Peace was an outright bomb. The next time Superman would appear on film was in the 2006 production Superman Returns. The movie was only modestly successful, but the Man of Steel will get another chance to lure fans to theaters later this year with the appropriately titled Man of Steel. For more on the checkered screen history of Superman click here