“GOIN’ TO TOWN” (1935; Directed by Alexander Hall)

“KLONDIKE ANNIE” (1936; Directed by Raoul Walsh)

“GO WEST, YOUNG MAN” (1936; Directed by Henry Hathaway)

“EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY” (1937; Directed by A. Edward Sutherland)

“MY LITTLE CHICKADEE” (1940; Directed by Edward F. Cline)

(Kino Lorber)

“GOODNESS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT—THE MAE WEST FILMS, PART TWO”

By Raymond Benson

This is the continuation of reviews of the classic 1930s (and 1940) films of Mae West, which began here.

Kino Lorber has just released in gorgeously restored, high-definition presentations every Mae West film made between 1932-1940—the Paramount years, plus one with Universal. This review will cover the last five of nine titles.

What is not commonly appreciated among Hollywood enthusiasts is that Mae West held a unique position in the history of cinema. Until the modern era, she had the extraordinary fortune—for her time—of being a leading actress who wrote her own screenplays. Six of the nine pictures reviewed here and in Part One were written by West, one was co-written, and all but the first was based on or adapted from West’s plays or stories. It wasn’t until the likes of Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Angelina Jolie, and a finite number of other actresses appeared on the scene to write original scripts for themselves that Hollywood allotted that kind of opportunity to a female performer. West was doing it in the 1930s, and this was unprecedented. Her talent and wit deserve a renewed appreciation today.

Her first two solo pictures (not counting her debut, Night After Night) are undoubtedly the quintessential Mae West movies (She Done Him Wrong and I’m No Angel) because of the freedom she had in the pre-Code years. Once the Production Code kicked in on July 1, 1934, West battled censorship and the challenges of getting across her risqué humor with more subtlety. It can be said that her remaining Paramount Pictures titles suffered when compared to the pre-Code fare, but they are still entertaining and worth a look.

Goin’ to Town (1935) takes place at the turn of the century when automobiles are appearing but there are still horses and buggies. It’s a globe-hopping affair that begins in what appears to be the Wild West as Cleo Borden (West) is a cattle rancher who juggles men on the way to fulfill her desire to refine her manners and join high society. Although her designs are really aimed at British engineer Edward Carrington (Paul Cavanaugh), she marries Fletcher Colton (Monroe Owsley) for convenience, but he’s an obsessive gambler. In Buenos Aires, Cleo faces off with rival Grace Brittony (Marjorie Gateson). As a recurring theme to this and other West vehicles, the actress sings “He’s a Bad, Bad Man, but He’s Good Enough for Me”! Goin’ to Town is entertaining enough—it’s better than the previous Belle of the Nineties, but the picture lacks interesting co-stars for West. The Blu-ray comes with an audio commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger, plus the theatrical trailer.

Click here to order from Amazon

Klondike Annie (1936) is overseen by solid filmmaker Raoul Walsh, and it shows. It is perhaps the best of West’s post-Code pictures, despite its embarrassingly offensive take on Asian characters, which was standard operating procedure in Hollywood for the time. It’s the 1890s again (why do so many of West’s films take place in that decade?). Rose Carlton (West) is a “kept woman” in San Francisco’s Chinatown by cruel club owner Chan Lo (Harold Huber, not an Asian actor). Rose ends up killing Lo and escapes on a ship to Alaska, the captain of which is Bull Brackett (the fabulous Victor McLaglen). Rose disguises herself and impersonates the deceased Sister Annie Alden, a missionary who was on her way to Nome to head up the only establishment of worship in an otherwise rough Gold Rush town. Bull falls hard for “Annie,” and she likes him, too, but she also has eyes for Mountie-like inspector Jack Forrest (Phillip Reed), who is looking for Rose because she’s now wanted for murder. Klondike Annie went through major Hays Office interference and in fact two major scenes were deleted from the film—the murder of Lo (we now only hear about what happened in conversation later), and the sequence in which Rose dons Annie’s clothing and dresses the former sister in the garb of a streetwalker (the censors seriously objected to this on puritanical grounds!). Nevertheless, Klondike is lively, rather suspenseful, and features the most exotic of settings for a Mae West movie. The disk comes with an audio commentary by film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, plus the theatrical trailer.

Click here to order from Amazon

Go West, Young Man (also 1936) was helmed by accomplished director Henry Hathaway, and it fares well for West and her filmography. West is controversial movie star Mavis Arden, who has a penchant to get in trouble. Thus, her studio has assigned press agent Morgan (Warren William, who was known as the “king of pre-Code,” but he was apparently still working post-Code) to keep an eye on Mavis and stop her from dalliances with men. On the way to a public appearance, their car breaks down in a hick town where Mavis and Morgan must stay at a boarding house run by a prudish woman (Alice Brady) and her more open-minded aunt (Elizabeth Patterson). The problem is that hunky Bud Norton (Randolph Scott) runs the gas station next door to the boarding house! It’s another enjoyable West romp that is more of a screwball comedy than any of her other pictures. The disk comes with an audio commentary by author/film historian Lee Gambin, plus the theatrical trailer.

Click here to order from Amazon

Every Day’s a Holiday (1937) was the last picture West made for Paramount, after which her contract was cancelled. She, along with many other actresses such as Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and even Bette Davis, were deemed at the time by the Hollywood press as “box office poison” (which was nonsense, of course). It’s too bad, for Holiday is one of the funnier titles in the West canon, mainly due to character actor co-stars Charles Butterworth (as Graves, a butler who is sweet on West’s character, Peaches O’Day), Charles Winninger (as Van Doon, an outrageous millionaire who also has the hots for Peaches), and bumbling Walter Catlett (as Nifty, Peaches’ manager). Peaches, who has a habit of “selling” the Brooklyn Bridge to numbskulls, has her eyes on police captain McCarey (Edmund Lowe), whose rival is the police chief Quade (Lloyd Nolan). Peaches, wanted by the law, “disguises” herself by donning a black wig—and of course no one recognizes her as Peaches anymore (!). Quade, once pursuing Peaches to arrest her, is now after “Fifi” to woo her. Fun stuff all around. Look for Louis Armstrong’s cameo leading a marching band and performing a song. The disk comes with an audio commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger, plus the theatrical trailer.

Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

BY MARK CERULLI

There’s a new Tomb Raider in town and she’s not… well… she’s not your older brother’s Tomb Raider. Gone is the statuesque, pistol-packing Angelina Jolie of the iconic video game character’s first movie incarnation. Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft is pared down to the essentials - a dangerous tomboy who is smart, feisty and tough as nails.

When we meet this Lara Croft she’s broke, toiling as a London bicycle messenger, getting her ass kicked in MMA training and still reeling from the disappearance of her father (Dominic West) seven years ago. He had vanished exploring a mysterious island off the coast of Japan. When she discovers the key to his hidden workroom, she becomes hooked on his quest and decides to follow his trail all the way to the jungle tomb he was desperately trying to keep from ever being opened.

Directed by the aptly named Finnish director, Roar Uthaug, the film starts off at a breakneck pace and rarely slows. The action moves like a bullet train from a bike chase in Central London to a Hong Kong dock melee and then on to a remote island as forbidding and dangerous as the one King Kong calls home. There, Croft encounters her father’s nemesis – a shadowy organization called Trinity which is laser-focused on finding the final resting place of an ancient Queen known as “The Mother of Death.” Their archaeological dig is run by a psychotic thug played with real verve by Walton Goggins (Justified), who could clearly give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money. When he steals Croft’s father’s journal, the path to the tomb and its hideous contents is revealed and the final battle begins.

Vikander is fit and relentless, yet vulnerable for an action hero – when she takes a beating, you feel it. The amount of training Ms. Vikander had to endure for the role must have been epic. As the New York Times’ review pithily noted, she has “a washboard stomach you could play the blues on.” (Sorry, that was too sweet not to reuse!) Cinematographer George Richmond makes great use of the lush South African scenery, and his zooming camerawork flies through jungle canopies and ancient tombs with equal finesse.

While Vikander’s Lara Croft isn’t as snide or as sexualized as her predecessor, hers is a strong debut and like Daniel Craig’s Bond, she’ll make this iconic character her own.

TOMB RAIDER  is released by Warner Bros. and MGM. The film makes its North American debut on Friday, March 16.

Cinema Retro's Mark Mawston takes you on the red carpet for the 2018 BAFTA Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London with some up close and personal photos of the celebs. (All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved).

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at the festivities.

Gary Oldman and family.

Naomi Harris and Afua Hirsch

Anna Taylor-Joy

Allison Janey

Daniel Kaluuya

Lilly James

Patrick Stewart

BY JOHN M. WHALEN 

In 1988 Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant ("In the Heat of the Night", "The Poseidon Adventure") got fed up with what he called "the eel pit of Hollywood" and moved to Thailand to start a new life. According to the LA Times, he'd grown tired of the power plays, the egos, the hypocrisy and the dictum that homage must be paid to the box office.  He left and never came back.

Hollywood has always had its dark side-- just read "Hollywood Babylon". Silliphant's "eel pit" was never a more apt description than when, a few years later in 2015, the film industry was rocked by the unauthorized release of some really nasty Sony emails that gave a glimpse into what powerful producers and studio execs really thought of some of their stars. Scott Rudin called Angelina Jolie a "minimally talented spoiled brat".  Clint Culpepper called Kevin Hart "a whore" and Amy Pascal said Leonardo DiCaprio was "despicable" And the news coming out of Hollywood these days is even worse. Allegations of sexual harassment up to and including rape by powerful studio heads and A-list stars are being revealed on an almost daily basis. Careers are ending faster than they can yank the latest multi-million dollar "blockbuste" flop out of theaters. And somebody or somebodies may go to jail.

Over the years there have been several attempts to document Tinseltown's seamy underbelly on film. Movies like "The Bad and the Beautiful", "Sunset Boulevard" and "The Last Tycoo" gave it a try with varying degrees of success. But without doubt the most scathing portrait of La La Land ever put on film has to be Robert Aldrich's "The Big Knife" (1955). This stark film, shot in black and white and 1.85:1 widescreen, is a searing depiction of an idealistic actor caught in the clutches of a powerful, merciless studio boss who will stop at nothing, including blackmail and murder, to get his way. Based on a stage play by Clifford Odets, the poet laureate of the working man, and adapted for the screen by James Poe, "The Big Knife" tells the story of screen star Charlie Castle (Jack Palance), who is described in voice-over narration at the beginning of the film as a man who sold his dreams but can't forget them. He once had artistic aspirations as an actor, but through his own weakness he succumbed to the lure of big money and became instead a drunk, a womanizer, and the property of studio head Stanley Shriner Hoff (Rod Steiger).

Forced to make some lousy pictures for Hoff, who is content with making money and couldn't care less about things like redeeming social value or artistic integrity, Charlie sees a way out. His contract is about to expire. Hoff wants him to sign up for seven more years, but Charlie's wife, Marion (Ida Lupino), insists he refuse to sign. She sees it as a matter of survival. She has seen the steady corrosion of Charlie's soul over the years working for Hoff Pictures. She and Charlie have been temporarily separated on and off for the last couple of years, but she tells him if he signs the new contract she'll leave for good.

Based on Odets' stage play, most of the film is confined to one set, the spacious play room of Charlie's Bel Air mansion. Aldrich and Cinematographer Ernest Laszlo, using deep focus lenses, create a claustrophobic atmosphere, shooting from low and high angles, with lamps and chandeliers in the foreground, conveying the terrifying sensation of the walls closing in on Charlie, as one character after another shows up to take away another piece of his soul.

First is columnist Patty Benedict (Ilka Chase), a barracuda who questions why Charlie has kept Buddy, his publicity man on the payroll after he had served several months in prison for a drunk driving hit and run that killed a child. Charlie tells her he's been a friend for years, and why dig that old news up? She also noses into the state of Charlie's marriage. When Marion appears (Charlie unaware she had entered the house), she tells Benedict it;s none of her business. The columnist leaves in a huff and warns Charlie she better not read about their break up in anybody else's column. Charlie scolds Marion for talking to Benedict that way, and when she rebukes his obsequious, hypocritical act with her, he replies, in typical Odets fashion: "Im in the movie business. I can't afford your acute attacks of integrity"

“The Big Knife” is loaded with hard-hitting dialogue that probably sounds over the top today, but in the context of the film, and in the period in which it was made—a time when filmmakers and writers like Chayefsky, Serling, and Inge were more concerned with moral value than writers are today—it all works. When Charlie discusses his future with his agent Nat Danziger (Everett Sloan), he considers the meager possibilities and concludes: “Every way is a way to die.” Later in the story, when the walls get even closer, he picks up a bottle and tells him “I’m getting sloshed in my own mud and neon.” In a confrontation with Hoff and his hatchet man Smiley Coy (Wendell Corey), who try to force him to sign the new contract, he tells them: “This is all a bleak, bitter dream, a dish of doves. You throw this mess of naked pigeons in my face. What am I to do?”

Further pressure comes from Buddy’s wife, a tramp who throws herself at Charlie, cold and callous, heedless of the way it will destroy their friendship. This betrayal becomes even more brutal when the truth that he and Buddy share regarding the hit and run accident is revealed. Finally, there is Shelly Winters as Dixie Evans, a starlet who knows too much about the hit and run and is seen as a threat not only by Charlie, but more importantly by Hoff and Smiley Coy. She’s the final straw that eventually breaks Charlie’s back. As Dixie says: “First they louse you up and then they call you a louse.”

Wesley Addey is on hand as (Horatio “Hank” Teagle) a writer friend of Marion and Charlie’s, who calls Charlie a half-idealist. “Half-idealism is the peritonitis of the soul,” he tells him. But even that friendship is tainted by the fact that Hank has asked Marion to leave Charlie and marry him. Every straw that Charlie gasps for only pulls him down deeper. Wendell Corey perhaps best sums up Charlie’s character when he calls him: “The warrior minstrel with the forlorn hope.”

Superstar Angelina Jolie is described as "a minimally talented spoiled brat" in a confidential E mail that has now gone viral.

The hacking scandal that has afflicted Sony Pictures has turned into a major disaster with implications that could ruin lucrative business relationships as well as lead to lawsuits. Sony was hacked by a mysterious entity that seemed more interest in embarrassing the company than extorting it. Thousands of social security numbers of employees have been leaked along with their salaries, unreleased films have been compromised at a potential cost of many millions of dollars and, perhaps most devastating to the suits in the corner offices, private E mails have been made public that reveal shocking comments by executives towards some of the most prominent people in the industry. The smart money is on North Korea as the culprit behind the sophisticated hack, that goes far beyond what most security experts have seen. Sony is about to release a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un- and the Dear Leader clearly doesn't think its funny. The North Koreans have denounced the film and called for Sony to suppress it. The studio's refusal to do so may have unleashed North Korea's intelligence services on it's computer systems. The Washington Post reports that the scandal has reached levels that is causing major agita among the top brass at Sony. In an industry that prides itself on keeping secrets, the cats are running out of the bag. Click here to read. 

For extensive coverage  of leaked E mails, click here for Gawker article.  

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.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Warner Home Video continues to earn the gratitude of movie fans by releasing special editions of films that had limited commercial appeal. The latest example is director Hal Ashby's Lookin' to Get Out, a 1982 comedy that was a notorious box-office disaster - and one that virtually ruined Ashby's career. Like fellow gadfly director Sam Peckinpah, Ashby could be a temperamental personality who prided himself on clashing with studios over issues of artistic integrity. His acclaimed hits include Coming Home, Being There and Shampoo, but -like Peckinpah- he wore out his welcome with his employers and was relegated to filming "by the numbers" movies in return for a paycheck.There has been a renaissance of interest in Ashby's career of late, so hopefully this director's cut of Lookin' to Get Out will find an appreciative audience.

The film stars Jon Voight (who co-wrote the script) as Alex Kovac, a perpetually upbeat but obnoxious compulsive gambler whose insurmountable debts to a local loan shark motivate him to flee to Las Vegas. He is accompanied by his personal Sancho Panza, the dim-witted but loyal Jerry Feldman (Burt Young). In Vegas, Alex reconnects with an old flame, Patti Warner (Ann-Margaret), who finds herself once again smitten by the charismatic loser - even though she is the girlfriend of the multi-millionaire owner of the MGM Grand Casino. Alex concocts an audacious plan to enlist the services of Smitty (Bert Remsen), a once-legendary high stakes gambler now reduced to working as a waiter in the MGM Grand.Alex gets Jerry to impersonate another high roller in order to get an advance on his credit. Using the borrowed $10,000, he plans to have Smitty take the casino to the cleaners through a nerve-wracking game of blackjack. However, the loan shark and his enforcer turn up in hot pursuit - and the plan turns to chaos as Alex and Jerry try to stay alive long enough to win their fortune.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. It moves at a brisk pace and makes excellent use of the Vegas locales. It was the first movie allowed to be shot inside the MGM Grand, which boggles the mind since the screenplay calls for the casino to be the setting for con men, cheating, wild chases and gun play. The permission was granted as a personal favor to Burt Young, who called in some chips, so to speak, in order to get the rights to film on location.

Glam is back: Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz looking radiant.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Some random thoughts on this evening's Academy Awards ceremony: not about the films themselves, but the ceremony.

• It's good to have Billy Crystal back, even though the "work" done on his face made him a bit unrecognizable. If he wasn't quite as sharp this year, his presence was a vast improvement over most hosts in the Crystal-less era. He had the usual amusing opening sequences in which he engaged in elaborate, expensive spoofs of films and nominated actors and topped it off with another clever song that took aim at both. Crystal actually got a bit better as the evening wore on and had some very amusing barbs.
• The show's pace was quite good. Things never got boring and they actually managed to end on time.
• Acceptance speeches were short, gracious and classy with the exception of one moron who was part of the winning documentary team. He used his few minutes of fame to utter an obscenity that had to be bleeped out.
• Glamor was back in style. For the most part, the men eschewed that fad of wearing a faux tuxedo that included a straight tie. Instead, the classic tux look was back and you can see why it remains timeless.The women seem to have, refreshingly, given up on Cher's old habit of trying to make the news by wearing an outrageous gown. More traditional styles were in vogue. Most glamorous: Jennifer Lopez in a jaw-dropping number that let it all hang out. Angelina Jolie tried to go glam, but she looked a bit too goth-- like Morticia Adams in a sexy dress.
  
• The Cirque du Soleil extravaganza tribute to the movies was magnificent on all levels- and incorporating classic film scenes was a true inspiration.
  
• The sad state of music in the film business was demonstrated by the fact that there were only two nominees for Best Song and neither of them were deemed worthy of being performed.
  
• Composer Ludovic Bource showed real class on his way to the podium to collect his Oscar for The Artist: he stopped in his tracks to pay personal homage to fellow nominee John Williams.
• The annual tribute to departed actors and filmmakers was extremely well done, thanks to a beautiful choir rendition of Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. As usual, the sheer number of great talents who were lost in the last twelve months was truly sobering.
  
• It was great to see the Academy finally honor Christopher Plummer with an Oscar. He's a true actor's actor and a lingering reminder of the style and grace that once represented the film industry.
  
• Tom Cruise hasn't aged a day in twenty years.
  
• Will Ferrel and Zach Galifianakis were funny; Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow weren't.
  
• The cash-strapped Hollywood & Highland Center was a perfect venue for the ceremonies. It was magnificently decorated to represent an old time movie palace.
  
• The idea of including funky musicians leading to the commercial breaks was an inspiration. Similarly, it was nice to have those mini-interviews with celebs recounting what movies inspired them when they were young. It was funny to hear Adam Sandler recall seeing Diamonds Are Forever at age 5 and being impressed by Sean Connery's chest hair.
  
• It was great to see Michael Douglas looking and sounding fit after his long battle with throat cancer.
  
• Nice to see Woody Allen still doesn't show up to accept his Oscars. He's about the only one who doesn't appear rude by not doing so because, well, he's Woody Allen.
  
• In all, one of the best produced Oscar shows in recent memories. Click here for full coverage, clips and list of winners.
  

Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft: was the success of Tomb Raider just a fluke?

There is a long-standing "conventional wisdom" in the film industry and among movie fans that, in general, audiences are reluctant to patronize action movies in which female characters have the lead. With few exceptions, the box-office seems to bare this out. However, writer Robert J. Elisberg begs to differ, using the recent failure of the female-themed action movie Sucker Punch as Exhibit A. Elisberg says that the film's flop is being pointed to as futher evidence that audiences don't want to see women in action movies. He says all it proves is that audiences don't want to see women in bad action movies. He supplies plenty of evidence that male stars have been allowed to keep their reputations as box-office kings despite strings of bad action movies that were also rejected by audiences. Click here to read

A film production company has bought the rights to the popular Tomb Raider films and intends to reinvent the series with a "young" Lara Croft. The media is hyping the fact that this almost certainly means that Angelina Jolie won't be hired for the part, but in fact, as far back as 2004, she said she was through with the role. For more click here

Deadline Hollywood reports there are credible indications that James Cameron is exploring the possibility of directing Angelina Jolie in her forthcoming Cleopatra epic. Uh-oh. Doesn't Hollywood ever learn from its past? The 1963 Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton Cleopatra might be magnificent entertainment, but it was seemingly cursed from the start and the massive budget over-runs almost drove Fox into bankruptcy. Cameron, who is not known as a penny-pincher when it comes to spending studio's money, does have a great track record at the box-office, but whether there is enough interest in ol' Cleo to justify the inevitable huge expenditures on the pic will remain to be seen. Cameron has not confirmed his participation, but apparently he is in discussions with Sony.

Angelina Jolie as Marilyn in Life Or Something Like It

Click here for a slide show of the most famous (and infamous) Marilyn Monroe impersonators. Warning: the photos include a sobering shot of then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto in drag!

Cleo from "real"...

Cleopatra first became the subject of a major film in the 1930s with Claudette Colbert playing the sultry Egyptian queen. In the 1960s, Elizabeth Taylor starred in the legendary mega budget epic biopic of the the Queen of the Nile. Now Angeline Jolie is preparing to play her in a new film and British TV is about to broadcast a major multi-part documentary about the real Cleopatra. In conjunction with that, scientists have released what they feel is an accurate depiction of how one of history's most legendary females actually looked - and while she might not be Liz Taylor, she ain't bad.

Click here for the Daily Mail's article on the real Cleopatra. (Note: the article repeatedly erroneously states that the 1963 epic was released in 1961)

...to "reel".

Brad Pitt: daring to speak for himself.

High-powered Hollywood publicity agencies are generally thought of as a status symbol for the top stars. However, there is a recent trend among the elite to handle their own publicity, spurred on by the shocking decision by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to leave the tony PMK publicity agency. Brangelina even had the audacity to speak for themselves, thus, they did not hire a new publicity team. The advent of new media has given stars the opportunity and ability to get their own messages out to the press and fans without having them filtered through mouthpieces. Now major publicity agencies are quaking in their boots about the prospects of a dim future. Click here for more. 

The premiere at Cannes, where the film is being shown in competition.

(THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED)

CINEMA RETRO COLUMNIST GARETH OWEN WAS INVITED TO COVER THE SCREENING OF CLINT EASTWOOD'S NEW FILM. AMONG THE SURPRISES WAS AN APPARENT TITLE CHANGE. HERE IS HIS REPORT:

By Gareth Owen, In Cannes

Clint Eastwood's latest film Changeling, is apparently now to be known as The Exchange after the director took a shine to the French translation to the original title. It premiered in competition at Cannes, and is one of the front runners for the coveted Palm d'Or award.

The Exchange restored my faith in Hollywood film-making. Everything about it is exquisite from the script, to performances, direction, settings and camerawork to the sound, music and editing. It is film-making the old fashioned way without silly camera tricks, flash cutting or shaking hand-held shots.

Eastwood has crafted the story of a mother who's son is abducted with pace, suspense, tension, horror, emotion and with it carries a startling insight in to the corrupt 1930s LA police force. Angelina Jolie, in a career best performance, plays Christine Collins - a hard working single mother in late 1920s California - who returns home from work one day to find her son has disappeared. Only after 5 months is there a lead on the case, when her young son Walter is spotted in Illinois. He is reunited to his mother by police captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) in front of a collection of press photographers, but she immediately says that the boy is not her son, despite him claiming to be. To save embarrassment, the police ask her to take the boy home. Days pass, and Collins' claims of the boy not being her son (confirmed by him being 3 inches shorter than Walter and also being circumcised when Walter was not) fall on dear ears in the LAPD; they are now keen to push ahead with a positive press and dismiss anyone questioning their professionalism. Collins fears that time is being wasted in not continuing the search for Walter, so she goes public. The police, keen to silence her, incarcerate her in a mental institution.

Only when community activist (John Malkovich) takes up her case do things start moving, and Collins is released. Meanwhile in the desert, another police detective - on a routine illegal child immigrant case - discovers an eerie truth that leads to a dramatic and highly engrossing conclusion.

Eastwood cements his reputation as being a master of the game with this film. It has 'Oscars' written all over it.

(Cinema Retro has been told by Universal that the title for the U.S. market officially remains Changeling, however it is still undecided whether the new title will be used when the film is released later this year.- Ed.)

FOR MORE PREMIERE COVERAGE AND PHOTOS CLICK HERE

Eastwood on the set of Changeling

CLINT EASTWOOD'S THE CHANGELING HAS SCREENED AT CANNES. THE ANGELINA JOLIE STARRER, SET IN THE 1920S AND BASED ON A REAL LIFE MYSTERY, HAS RECEIVED AN OUTSTANDING REVIEW FROM VARIETY. THE PAPER SAYS, "A thematic companion piece to Mystic River but more complex and far-reaching, Changeling impressively continues Clint Eastwood's great run of ambitious late-career pictures. Emotionally powerful and stylistically sure-handed, this true story-inspired drama begins small with the disappearance of a young boy, only to gradually fan out to become a comprehensive critique of the entire power structure of Los Angeles, circa 1928. Graced by a top-notch performance from Angelina Jolie, the Universal release looks poised to do some serious business upon tentatively scheduled opening late in the year." For complete review click here

Cannes 2008: Thursday Evening May 15th.

Whilst Cinema Retro generally reports on classic and cult films, one does not turn down the opportunity to attend the Cannes Film Festival. As our magazine was granted the near-impossible to get press credentials for this year's event - the 61st to date - we now find ourselves comfortably embedded in the madness that is Cannes. If you are a cinephile, it's a great place to be.

(Photo copyright Paul Lawton. All rights reserved.)

Security is a major issue at the event - as it should be in this day and age - and, quite simply, if you are not a registered professional from within the film industry, there is no point you being here - as you won’t get in! So why am I here? Well, the festival not only premieres films in competition, features areas for filmmakers and
distributors to both buy and sell their new movies, it also pays homage to cinema of the past. This year,under the ‘Cannes Classics’ banner, there is an interesting mix of both European and English titles being
shown, including The Passionate Friends (David Lean), The Long Day’s Dying (Peter Collinson), Anna Karenina (de Alexandre Zarkhi), Peppermint Frappe (Carlos Saura) and The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-In-the-
Moon Marigolds (Paul Newman).

Although one associates Cannes with art house titles, the Hollywood marketing machine has jumped on board to use the festival as a window to the world for their more commercial product. This Saturday sees the first showing of Woody Allen’s new film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Sunday has the much-anticipated world premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Both are red carpet events, with Allen,
Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson already in town, and Spielberg, Lucas and the whole cast expected to show, too. Needless to say, tickets go to Hollywood hierarchy only, although we, the press, do get to see
them after.

Another film being given the big sell is Kung Fu Panda, with Jack Black meeting the press on the promenade yesterday (Wed 14th), and all the frontages of the major hotels on La Croisette displaying hoardings for upcoming commercial popcorn fare such as the new X-Files film and The Mummy 3.

(Photo copyright Paul Lawton. All rights reserved.)

However, Hollywood ‘royalty’ will be in town, as Clint Eastwood is expected here next week for the opening of his new film Changeling, which is in competition. His leading lady Angelina Jolie has already arrived with husband Brad Pitt in tow, and, as per the norm, the paparazzi are out in force and hounding them down (snore).

Being part of the ‘media crowd’, one does get invited to showings and get bombarded with press packs and goody bags. There’s enough printed material being handed out to save a rain forest. I was happy
to see that the American Pavilion, which I was lucky enough to be a member of, gave out tote bags made from ex coffee bean sacks, and made by an enterprising American company who employ stay at home moms and grandmothers! Called WeBe Bags, they can be found at sales:webebags.com. Not only are they unique, cool, rugged and lightweight, they are eco-friendly too. In the age of disposable packaging, I can see these
catching on big time. Well done, ladies!

Right, I’m off for a late night showing with author, and Retro columnist Gareth Owen. What are we going to see? It’s called Flash Back, and is a new short starring Sara Dee and directed by Martin Pavey,
friends of ours who are in town touting it in the short film corner of the festival. So you see, there’s something for everyone at the Cannes Film Festival regardless of status, style and bank balance!

I may be back before I leave. All depends on the red wine and the weather………

Dave Worrall

CONTINUE READING FOR MORE PHOTOS

Scarlett Johansson: how long can the talented beauty live off the success of only two films: Lost in Translation and Match Point?

The Onion's A.V Club column provides a great article analyzing why some stars remain the darlings of the industry despite box-office track records that range from spotty to disastrous. Some, like Nicholas Cage and Bruce Willis, are able to come up with hits that are so sizeable that they mask the fact that the vast majority of their films are boxoffice and critical failures. Others like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie continue to reap huge paychecks from studios in the mistaken belief that their presence on the covers of supermarket tabloids will somehow translate into boxoffice gold. Our gripe is: how many talented newcomers will never get their chance to obtain seed money for their films because so much loot is being doled out to actors who have not demonstrated any clout beyond the gossip magazine circuit? For the article click here

In an exclusive interview with the Washington Post, Clint Eastwood discusses his next film, The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie as a woman in the center of a kidnapping drama. He also theorizes on the prospects of adapting astronaut Neil Armstrong's autobiography for the big screen and discusses his involvement in perpetuating public interest in jazz music. As usual, Hollywood's elder statesman/director is low-key and self-deprecating in his sense of humor. To read the article click here.

Here's a bit of Clint Eastwood trivia: did you know that Frank Sinatra had originally signed to play Dirty Harry? We have a rare original trade advertisement for the Chairman of the Board as the tough cop featured in our Dirty Harry 10 page tribute in Cinema Retro issue #9.

ORIGINAL U.S LOBBY CARD FOR "DIRTY HARRY"

McQueen on the set of The Great Escape: an iconic screen image

The Motorcycle Industry Association has voted Steve McQueen as the top biker of all time - a tribute to his star-making turn in the 1963 film The Great Escape. McQueen did most of his own stunt riding in the film, including doubling as a German soldier who was pursuing him. Ironically, the stunt that everyone remembers - his daring leap over a barbed wire barricade was actually performed by stunt rider Bud Ekins. McQueen probably could have done the stunt, but insurance concerns precluded him from trying. The persons bikers would most want to have as a passenger were Angelina Jolie and Daniel Craig. The least desirable tag-alongs? Victoria Beckham and Prime Minister Gordon Brown...also quite  understandable. The only ride more nightmarish would be to imagine the new P.M. giving a lift to Ms. Beckham!  (For a deleted scene from The Great Escape, see our Unseen Scenes column) To read the full story click here

In issue #7 of Cinema Retro, Paul Talbot, author of Bronson's Loose: The Making of the Death Wish Films, revisited the 1974 film that started the franchise. He now brings us interviews with actresses Robin Sherwood and Silvana Gallardo who appeared in the the film's controversial sequel, Death Wish II.

In 1981 star Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner reunited for Death Wish II, a follow-up to one of the highest grossing and most discussed films of 1974. In Death Wish II, vigilante Paul Kersey hits the streets to avenge the brutal rape and murder of his daughter (who had already been rendered comatose after an attack in the first film) and his Hispanic housekeeper. The sequel became not only another box-office hit, but the most-controversial film in the five-title series and the lone entry that alienates even the most diehard Bronson fans. Death Wish II owes most of its notoriety to two brutal and vicious rape scenes that were so grisly that they had to be extensively edited to achieve an R rating in the United States and were cut even further for England.