George D. Allen | Staff Notes
World-renowned Swedish violinist Holger Brandt (Gosta Ekman) knows what he is about to do is wrong, but he does it anyway, and invites gifted student pianist Anita Hoffman (Ingrid Bergman) out for a “late dinner and wine” after they meet—not so much by coincidence at all—exiting a theatrical performance.
Anita has been providing piano lessons for Anne-Marie, Holger’s little daughter, while he has been away from his wife and children on a long tour; at the girl’s birthday party earlier, she had performed an impromptu duet with him, electrifying the assembled guests. Immediately, Holger realized that Anita would be the perfect choice to replace his retiring accompanist. He also realized he was in love.
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guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest blogger Angela Petteys writes:
When you have more than one screen adaptation of a novel, usually one is more faithful to the book than the other. However, in the case of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, it has two pretty accurate translations. The first version, released in 1931, stars Ricardo Cortez as detective Sam Spade, Bebe Daniels, and Thelma Todd, and it does a pretty good job of sticking to the source material. However, director John Huston's 1941 film, with Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet, is an even more accurate representation. It doesn’t stick to the novel exactly, but most of the dialogue is taken verbatim and the key story elements are kept intact. (Editor's Note: There was also a very loose 1936 adaptation, with Warren William and Bette Davis, entitled Satan Met a Lady.)
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guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest blogger Will Silver writes:
Back to the Future (1985). Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, Marc McClure, Wendie Jo Sperber, George DiCenzo, Frances Lee McCain, James Tolkan.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Expectations: I know exactly what to expect. Pure greatness.
Four stars? Really? Perhaps I am being overly generous due to a good 26 years of unadulterated love for this movie, but after re-watching it for what is probably the 50th time, Back to the Future still excites, delights and is just flat-out awesome. As I’m sure everyone has seen the film, this is nothing close to a revelation, but as Back to the Future is one of my favorite films, I simply could not watch it and not write something about it.
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Irv Slifkin | Ask Movie Fanfare
Q: I recently saw a Jerry Lewis documentary on TV and saw clips from films I wasn’t familiar with. Any chance we’ll see more of Jerry’s films on DVD in the future?
A: If you are a fan of “The Total Filmmaker,” you’re in luck. Two of Mr. Lewis’s collaborations with former Warner animation wizard Frank Tashlin are on their way. It’s Only Money (1962) stars Jerry as a TV repairman with a hankering to become a detective. He gets his chance when he teams with a P.I. (Jesse White) to investigate schemers trying to get their hands on a disputed will. Joan O’Brien is the nurse Jerry falls for in this film that may best be known for a scene in which the star encounters a batch of runaway lawnmowers. Also on the way is Who’s Minding the Store? (1963), showcasing Jerry as a dog walker given a job at a department store by owner Agnes Moorehead. Her intention is to prove Jerry’s a doofus to her elevator operator daughter (Jill St. John), who happens to be his fiancée. In what has become one of Lewis’s best-known bits, he attempts to fix a vacuum cleaner in the department store with little success (but lots of plugs for Hoover). For the record, Jerry Lewis and Frank Tashlin made eight films together.
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Chris Cummins | New Releases This Week
Looking for some high-flying new releases? If so, you're sure in the right place! There's a bunch of great offerings making their debuts this week, but none are more noteworthy than the classic Wings -- a film that has the distinction for winning the very first Academy Award for Best Picture. But that's not all. Film favorites ranging from Godzilla's film debut to a Kojak telefilm are also being released this week. Check out the rest of what is now available!
Wings
Thrilling aerial combat scenes highlight director William Wellman's silent 1927 WWI saga. Richard Arlen and Charles "Buddy" Rogers are small-town best friends, in love with the same girl, who enlist in the Army Air Corps to fight in Europe.
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Jason Marcewicz | Create-A-Caption
You know the drill. Below is a classic movie photo with Jason’s caption.
You’re encouraged to leave your own suggestion in the comment section below!
“Why do I have a man over my shoulder?
Ask me no questions, sister, and I’ll tell you no lies.”
guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
There are a ton of classic movies that remain unavailable on DVD and Blu-ray. For film fans, this is frustrating to say the least. While these gems have yet to be freed from the vaults, we can still voice our appreciation for them...even if we can't watch them! Today's guest post by The Lady Eve looks at the music of one of these favorites:
The Uninvited, from Paramount Pictures in 1944, is an elegantly spooky Rebecca-esque romance with more than one haunting quality. Yes, Windward House, the sea cliff-situated home central to the story, is haunted by a malevolent woman’s ghost, but the film’s music is equally haunting (though not at all spooky).
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Jay Steinberg | This Week in Film History
January 27, 1918: Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle lord debuts on screen in Tarzan of the Apes, starring former Arkansas peace officer Elmo Lincoln.
January 22, 1928: The John Ford melodrama Mother Machree features, as an unbilled extra, former prop man John Wayne in his first film appearance.
January 23, 1932: Educational Films Corporation signs 3-year-old Shirley Temple to appear in a series of film take-offs called Baby Burlesks.
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guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest blogger Monty Hawes writes:
I just realized that Paul Newman did several films that began with the letter H and that they are some of his best films and most successful. And all came out during a time span in the 1960s. So I thought it would be cool to do a post about that.
First up in 1961 is the much-loved and rightly praised The Hustler, which cast Newman as up-and-coming pool player "Fast Eddie" Felson, who challenges top shark Minnesota Fats (played by the Great One, Jackie Gleason). This is one of Newman's most famous roles. He even did a sequel 25 years later with Tom Cruise called The Color Of Money. The sequel finally landed him an Oscar, which had eluded him for his whole life. Not taking anything away from the sequel, but it's The Hustler where Newman really shines. The film is one of my favorite films and performances of Newman by far.
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George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Sometimes, a movie question appears to present a very limited range of possible answers. Like the question, "Is Marlon Brando the Greatest Movie Actor of All Time?"
You might think the answers to a question like that would typically be limited to the following:
Yes.
Or: No.
Or: What a stupid question.
But then, you would not be a real movie fan, would you? Obsessed with estimating and re-estimating the estimable Brando's wide—ahem—range of impact and influence on the world of cinema in general, and film acting in particular. Where the star of The Godfather "places" in the annals of thespianic greatness can be, has been, and shall always remain one of "those" conversations taking place among truly dedicated film buffs. We are not talking about Charlie Sheen. Because, as we all know, Charlie Sheen Is No Marlon Brando. No, we are talking about the man who not only made A Streetcar Named Desire, but also Apocalypse Now. And Free Money. Which, uhm, also starred Charlie Sheen.
So, let's get to it and Ask Movie Irv. Was Brando, Is Brando, Will Brando Always Be...The One?
Brandophiles, wherever you are, are now free to champion or take issue with Irv's verdict.
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