QUEEN CHRISTINA – Greta Garbo, John Gilbert
Queen Christina (1933)
Direction: Rouben Mamoulian
Screenplay: H. M. Harwood and S. N. Behrman
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Young, C. Aubrey Smith, Reginald Owen, David Torrence
One of the most ambitious productions of the early 1930s, Queen Christina remains surprisingly modern in its execution thanks in large part to Rouben Mamoulian’s assured hand. Those looking for historical accuracy in the film, however, will be greatly disappointed, for credited screenwriters H. M. Harwood and S. N. Behrman kept themselves busy concocting a highly fictionalized version of the Swedish queen; one who experiences an all-consuming and ultimately tragic love affair with a Spanish envoy. (Garbo biographer Mark Vieira explains [see below] that credited screenwriter — and close Garbo friend [...]
by Andre Soares | April 14, 2009
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Tags: C. Aubrey Smith, Classic Movies, Crossdressing, David Torrence, Elizabeth Young, Film Reviews, Five-Star Movies, Gay Interest, Greta Garbo, H. M. Harwood, Historical Movies, Ian Keith, John Gilbert, Laurence Olivier, Lewis Stone, Mark Vieira, Queen Christina, Reginald Owen, Romantic Movies, Rouben Mamoulian, S. N. Behrman, Salka Viertel
Liam Neeson to Star in CLASH OF THE TITANS
Liam Neeson, 56, whose wife Natasha Richardson died last March 18, is set to begin work on a remake of Clash of the Titans.
Neeson will play Zeus, the ancient Greeks’ top god (Zeus is akin to the Latin Deus, God), a role played by Laurence Olivier in the 1981 film.
Louis Leterrier, of The Incredible Hulk, is set to direct the new version, which is scheduled to begin production in the United Kingdom later this month.
Also in the new Clash of the Titans are Ralph Fiennes playing Hades, ruler of the underworld, Luke Treadaway (of Brothers of the Head), Mads Mikkelsen, Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, and Alexa Davalos. This will mark Neeson’s and Fiennes’ first film reunion [...]
by Anna Robinson | April 9, 2009
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Tags: Ancient Greece, Atom Egoyan, Chloe, Claire Bloom, Clash of the Titans, Desmond Davis, Fantasy Movies, Flora Robson, Harry Hamlin, Historical Movies, Judi Bowker, Liam Neeson, Louis Leterrier, Luke Treadaway, Maggie Smith, Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Remakes, Sam Worthington, Sian Phillips, Ursula Andress, Visual Effects
GONE WITH THE WIND: A 70th Anniversary Celebration
Among the special events at the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival, which runs April 16-25, is "Gone With the Wind: A 70th Anniversary Celebration," with the presence of Turner Classic Movie’s host and film historian Robert Osborne, Baltimore Sun critic Michael Sragow, and author/critic Molly Haskell.
On Saturday, April 18, at 8:00 pm, "The Gone With the Wind Legacy" will feature a discussion with Osborne, Sragow and Haskell at the Margaret Mitchell House’s Literary Center. All three participants will be showcasing their new books: 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards by Osborne, Victor Fleming, a Biography by Sragow, and Frankly, My Dear: Gone with the Wind Revisited [...]
by Deborah Arthur | April 3, 2009
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Tags: Atlanta Film Festival, Civil War, Clark Gable, Classic Movies, David O. Selznick, Film Festivals, Gone with the Wind, Historical Movies, Leslie Howard, Margaret Mitchell, Michael Sragow, Molly Haskell, Olivia de Havilland, Robert Osborne, Romantic Movies, Victor Fleming, Vivien Leigh
ALEXANDER d: Oliver Stone
Alexander (2004)
Direction: Oliver Stone
Screenplay: Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle, and Laeta Kalogridis
Cast: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christopher Plummer, Gary Stretch, Neil Jackson, Raz Degan
Colin Farrell in Alexander
Two-time Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone is no stranger to controversy. His latest polemic comes courtesy of the director’s first historical epic, Alexander, the story of the Macedonian ruler (356-323 BCE) who conquered most of the world known to the Ancient Greeks. The arguments thrown about both for and against the film are due to the fact that this (reportedly) US$150,000,000 production officially boasts a bisexual hero who not only is the supreme commander of a conquering army, but who also slaughters his [...]
by Andre Soares | November 27, 2004
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Tags: Alexander, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Biopics, Colin Farrell, Epics, Film Reviews, Gay Interest, Historical Movies, Raz Degan, Val Kilmer
NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA d: Franklin J. Schaffner
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Direction: Franklin J. Schaffner
Screenplay: James Goldman; from Robert K. Massie’s 1967 historical novel
Cast: Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Irene Worth, Laurence Olivier, Tom Baker, Harry Andrews, Michael Bryant, Maurice Denham, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, John McEnery, Eric Porter, Michael Redgrave, Alan Webb, Curd Jürgens, Lynne Frederick, Roderic Nobel
Nicholas and Alexandra is surely one of the most sumptuous productions ever made. The elaborate sets and costumes, Richard Rodney Bennett’s lush musical score, and the richly textured cinematography (courtesy of frequent David Lean collaborator Frederick A. Young) provide the perfect period atmosphere for this historical epic. Missing, however, is a screenplay that offers dialogue instead of speeches, and a directorial hand that brings out truth instead of melodrama.
Nicholas [...]
by Andre Soares | October 28, 2004
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Tags: Film Reviews, Franklin J. Schaffner, Frederick A. Young, Historical Movies, Irene Worth, Janet Suzman, Laurence Olivier, Michael Jayston, Nicholas and Alexandra, Oscar 1971, Oscar Movies, Political Movies
