Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
In all honesty, the films of 2023 should take a backseat to the images we are seeing every day in Gaza, where journalists and average citizens have been recording and documenting a daily assault on their homes and livelihoods by the Idf. Whatever fakery we watched and enjoyed in the cinema this year should always be kept in perspective in importance with images that are real and actually happening right now. The Palestinians who have documented these important images have been targeted and killed with intent and purpose to silence what their photos and videos are showing and saying.
List of journalists who have been killed.
The below is of lesser note:
Best First Watches:
Angel’s Egg La belle noiseuse Centipede Horror Charley Varrick Coffy Crimson Gold...
In all honesty, the films of 2023 should take a backseat to the images we are seeing every day in Gaza, where journalists and average citizens have been recording and documenting a daily assault on their homes and livelihoods by the Idf. Whatever fakery we watched and enjoyed in the cinema this year should always be kept in perspective in importance with images that are real and actually happening right now. The Palestinians who have documented these important images have been targeted and killed with intent and purpose to silence what their photos and videos are showing and saying.
List of journalists who have been killed.
The below is of lesser note:
Best First Watches:
Angel’s Egg La belle noiseuse Centipede Horror Charley Varrick Coffy Crimson Gold...
- 1/3/2024
- by Soham Gadre
- The Film Stage
There are compliments and there are compliments. For a young Italian actress making her big screen debut, being compared to Giulietta Masina — best known for her work in front of the camera of Federico Fellini (who also doubled up as her husband), most notably La Strada and Nights of Cabiria — it’s definitely one of the better ones to receive.
But it was this that, Rebecca Antonaci explains, led director Saverio Costanzo to cast her as the lead in his Venice-bowing drama Finally Dawn (Finalmente L’alba in Italian). “Saverio told me that I, in some way, reminded him of Messina,” the 18-year-old says, speaking from Rome.
If Costanzo was looking for someone who could capture Masina’s renowned youthful, wide-eyed innocence, he certainly found it with this newcomer.
Set in the mid 1950s, in the golden age of the Italian capital’s historic Cinecitta studio (and the period where Masina...
But it was this that, Rebecca Antonaci explains, led director Saverio Costanzo to cast her as the lead in his Venice-bowing drama Finally Dawn (Finalmente L’alba in Italian). “Saverio told me that I, in some way, reminded him of Messina,” the 18-year-old says, speaking from Rome.
If Costanzo was looking for someone who could capture Masina’s renowned youthful, wide-eyed innocence, he certainly found it with this newcomer.
Set in the mid 1950s, in the golden age of the Italian capital’s historic Cinecitta studio (and the period where Masina...
- 8/30/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Take a refreshing plunge into classic French Poetic Realism — pre-noir drama with softer edges and a touch of romantic fatalism. A low-rent hotel on a barge canal is the gathering point for a cross-section of quasi- undesirables. Scandals and crimes aside, they’re a touching, human bunch, as performed to perfection by Louis Jouvet, Annabella, Arletty, Jane Marken, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Paulette Dubost and Bernard Blier. Marcel Carné’s show is also a beautiful production, with Alexandre Trauner designs that recreate ‘reality’ on an enormous scale.
Hôtel du Nord
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1139
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 23, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Louis Jouvet, Arletty, Paulette Dubost, Andrex, André Brunot, Henri Bosc, Marcel André, Bernard Blier, Jane Marken, François Périer, Dora Doll, Raymone.
Cinematography: Louis Née, Armand Thirard
Production Designer and Art Director: Alexandre Trauner
Film Editor: Marthe Gottie
Original Music: Maurice Jaubert
Written by Henri Jeanson,...
Hôtel du Nord
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1139
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 23, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Louis Jouvet, Arletty, Paulette Dubost, Andrex, André Brunot, Henri Bosc, Marcel André, Bernard Blier, Jane Marken, François Périer, Dora Doll, Raymone.
Cinematography: Louis Née, Armand Thirard
Production Designer and Art Director: Alexandre Trauner
Film Editor: Marthe Gottie
Original Music: Maurice Jaubert
Written by Henri Jeanson,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Anthology Film Archives
Robert Downey Sr’s best-known films—some of the funniest ever made—are showcased in a 35mm series, while Mekas and Méliès screen in Essential Cinema.
Museum of the Moving Image
Five films by Chantal Akerman play in the series “Your Loving Mother.”
Metrograph
“Metrograph Selects” offers Cassavetes and Rivette; while The Man in the Moon screens on Sunday. A new restoration of The Wobblies is also playing.
IFC Center
A Gaspar Noé retrospective is underway; the new restorations of Inland Empire and Mississippi Masala continue; Eraserhead, The Crow, and Re-Animator have late-night showings.
Roxy Cinema
Friday brings prints of Alphabet City and Wild Style, while In the Mood for Love and Love is Colder Than Death screen on 35mm this Saturday.
Film Forum
As the new Nights of Cabiria restoration continues, Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva plays on 35mm.
Anthology Film Archives
Robert Downey Sr’s best-known films—some of the funniest ever made—are showcased in a 35mm series, while Mekas and Méliès screen in Essential Cinema.
Museum of the Moving Image
Five films by Chantal Akerman play in the series “Your Loving Mother.”
Metrograph
“Metrograph Selects” offers Cassavetes and Rivette; while The Man in the Moon screens on Sunday. A new restoration of The Wobblies is also playing.
IFC Center
A Gaspar Noé retrospective is underway; the new restorations of Inland Empire and Mississippi Masala continue; Eraserhead, The Crow, and Re-Animator have late-night showings.
Roxy Cinema
Friday brings prints of Alphabet City and Wild Style, while In the Mood for Love and Love is Colder Than Death screen on 35mm this Saturday.
Film Forum
As the new Nights of Cabiria restoration continues, Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva plays on 35mm.
- 4/29/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
IFC Center
A Gaspar Noé retrospective is underway; the new restorations of Inland Empire and Mississippi Masala continue; Eraserhead, The Crow, Re-Animator, and Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane have late-night showings.
Roxy Cinema
Ugetsu and Altered States screen on 35mm this weekend.
Film Forum
A new Nights of Cabiria restoration has started, while the Sidney Poitier retrospective includes films by Ford, Kubrick, and Hitchcock.
Metrograph
A retrospective of nonfiction filmmaker Lionel Rogosin is underway, while novelist Gary Indiana has a selection running down.
Anthology Film Archives
Almost never screened, the films of Friedl Kubelka vom Gröller are given a series, while Laurel & Hardy plays alongside Sunrise in Essential Cinema.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: Gaspar Noé, Ugetsu, Sergeant Rutledge & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
IFC Center
A Gaspar Noé retrospective is underway; the new restorations of Inland Empire and Mississippi Masala continue; Eraserhead, The Crow, Re-Animator, and Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane have late-night showings.
Roxy Cinema
Ugetsu and Altered States screen on 35mm this weekend.
Film Forum
A new Nights of Cabiria restoration has started, while the Sidney Poitier retrospective includes films by Ford, Kubrick, and Hitchcock.
Metrograph
A retrospective of nonfiction filmmaker Lionel Rogosin is underway, while novelist Gary Indiana has a selection running down.
Anthology Film Archives
Almost never screened, the films of Friedl Kubelka vom Gröller are given a series, while Laurel & Hardy plays alongside Sunrise in Essential Cinema.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: Gaspar Noé, Ugetsu, Sergeant Rutledge & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 4/22/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
by Nathaniel R
While we're sad about the current state of Oscar we still have 93 other years of Oscar history to obsess over. So I'm happy to share that I was invited back for a final appearance on "The One-Inch Barrier". Juan Carlos Ojano's podcast has looked at every Oscar race for Best International Feature Film while moving backward in time. Well almost every. There's still a few episodes to go. For this episode Juan Carlos and I talked about the nominated films of 1957 including The Gates of Paris (France), the noir The Devil Strikes at Night (Germany), the musical melodrama Mother India (India), the WW II survival drama Nine Lives (Norway), and the winning film Federico Fellini's enchanting Nights of Cabiria (Italy).
Ingmar Bergman's influential early classic The Seventh Seal was also submitted for the Oscars that year but the Academy unwisely passed. I have words about that.
While we're sad about the current state of Oscar we still have 93 other years of Oscar history to obsess over. So I'm happy to share that I was invited back for a final appearance on "The One-Inch Barrier". Juan Carlos Ojano's podcast has looked at every Oscar race for Best International Feature Film while moving backward in time. Well almost every. There's still a few episodes to go. For this episode Juan Carlos and I talked about the nominated films of 1957 including The Gates of Paris (France), the noir The Devil Strikes at Night (Germany), the musical melodrama Mother India (India), the WW II survival drama Nine Lives (Norway), and the winning film Federico Fellini's enchanting Nights of Cabiria (Italy).
Ingmar Bergman's influential early classic The Seventh Seal was also submitted for the Oscars that year but the Academy unwisely passed. I have words about that.
- 3/5/2022
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Fun fact: after nearly eight years compiling these lists, a recent Covid surge has made the weekend of 12/24/21 our shortest Weekend Watch ever. We accept no awards.
IFC Center
It’s a Wonderful Life begins a full run.
Film Forum
Newly restored, Nights of Cabiria is now playing, while Chaplin’s The Kid screens this Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
A screening of Pavement Butterfly is held this Sunday with live accompaniment.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: It's a Wonderful Life and Nights of Cabiria first appeared on The Film Stage.
IFC Center
It’s a Wonderful Life begins a full run.
Film Forum
Newly restored, Nights of Cabiria is now playing, while Chaplin’s The Kid screens this Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
A screening of Pavement Butterfly is held this Sunday with live accompaniment.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: It's a Wonderful Life and Nights of Cabiria first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 12/24/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Mubi is kicking off the new year with a selection of our 2021 highlights, including some of which haven’t picked up proper distribution yet. Most notably, their own release, Alexandre Koberidze’s dazzling What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?, will premiere along with a New Voices in Georgian Cinema series. Also arriving is Salomé Jashi’s Taming the Garden, Ana Katz’s The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, Alex Camilleri’s Luzzu, and Nino Martínez Sosa’s Liborio.
As part of a series of first films, they’ll also feature works from Janicza Bravo, Noah Baumbach, Garrett Bradley, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Terry Gilliam, and more. A double bill of Federico Fellini classics, Nights of Cabiria and The White Sheik, will also come to the platform.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 | Kicking & Screaming | Noah Baumbach | First Films First
January...
As part of a series of first films, they’ll also feature works from Janicza Bravo, Noah Baumbach, Garrett Bradley, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Terry Gilliam, and more. A double bill of Federico Fellini classics, Nights of Cabiria and The White Sheik, will also come to the platform.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 | Kicking & Screaming | Noah Baumbach | First Films First
January...
- 12/17/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
After a hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place.
Roxy Cinema
Prints of Speed Racer, Nightmare Alley, Batman Returns, and Amadeus screen through the weekend.
Metrograph
Films by Stanley Donen, Jonathan Glazer, Melvin Van Peebles and others are playing in a series curated by Diamantino director Daniel Schmidt; the Wachowskis’ Bound screens Friday night.
Museum of the Moving Image
“See It Big: Extravaganzas!” offers films by Hype Williams, Ulrike Ottinger, and Zhang Yimou.
Japan Society
A fantastic 4K restoration of Priest of Darkness, by one of Japanese cinema’s great figures, Sadao Yamanaka, plays on Friday, while films by Naomi Kawase, Junji Sakamoto,...
Roxy Cinema
Prints of Speed Racer, Nightmare Alley, Batman Returns, and Amadeus screen through the weekend.
Metrograph
Films by Stanley Donen, Jonathan Glazer, Melvin Van Peebles and others are playing in a series curated by Diamantino director Daniel Schmidt; the Wachowskis’ Bound screens Friday night.
Museum of the Moving Image
“See It Big: Extravaganzas!” offers films by Hype Williams, Ulrike Ottinger, and Zhang Yimou.
Japan Society
A fantastic 4K restoration of Priest of Darkness, by one of Japanese cinema’s great figures, Sadao Yamanaka, plays on Friday, while films by Naomi Kawase, Junji Sakamoto,...
- 12/17/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Director Federico Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria" ('Le notti di Cabiria"), winner of the 1957 Academy Award for 'Best Foreign Language Film', starring Giulietta Masina, is being re-released by Rialto Pictures in a 4K restored theatrical version, December 17, 2021:
"...a happy, laughing 'Cabiria' is standing on a river bank with her current boyfriend and live-in lover, 'Giorgio'. Suddenly he pushes her into the river and steals her purse which is full of money. She cannot swim and nearly drowns, but is rescued by a group of young boys and revived at the last possible moment by ordinary people who live a little further down the river.
"In spite of saving her life, she treats them with disdain and starts looking for Giorgio. "Cabiria returns to her small home, but Giorgio has disappeared. She is bitter, and when her best friend and neighbor, 'Wanda' tries to help her get over him,...
"...a happy, laughing 'Cabiria' is standing on a river bank with her current boyfriend and live-in lover, 'Giorgio'. Suddenly he pushes her into the river and steals her purse which is full of money. She cannot swim and nearly drowns, but is rescued by a group of young boys and revived at the last possible moment by ordinary people who live a little further down the river.
"In spite of saving her life, she treats them with disdain and starts looking for Giorgio. "Cabiria returns to her small home, but Giorgio has disappeared. She is bitter, and when her best friend and neighbor, 'Wanda' tries to help her get over him,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Two decades after its launch, Italy’s National Film Museum in Turin is pushing out into VR and looking to boost its role as a magnet for global movie lovers and a catalyst for the local film industry.
The venerable cinematic shrine housed in the iconic Mole Antonelliana domed tower, which is the Northern city’s main landmark, has long been known as a treasure trove of movie memorabilia, including pre-cinema magic lanterns and Federico Fellini’s red scarf and letters, as well as for its sleek glass elevator leading to a stunning view of Turin and the Alps in the surrounding Piedmont region.
As an institution, the Turin museum also serves as the core organization behind a trio of festivals: the Torino Film Festival, which is Italy’s leading indie cinema event; the ecology-themed CinemAmbiente; and the Lovers Film Festival, Europe’s first fest dedicated to LGBTQ+ films, a standout on the international circuit.
The venerable cinematic shrine housed in the iconic Mole Antonelliana domed tower, which is the Northern city’s main landmark, has long been known as a treasure trove of movie memorabilia, including pre-cinema magic lanterns and Federico Fellini’s red scarf and letters, as well as for its sleek glass elevator leading to a stunning view of Turin and the Alps in the surrounding Piedmont region.
As an institution, the Turin museum also serves as the core organization behind a trio of festivals: the Torino Film Festival, which is Italy’s leading indie cinema event; the ecology-themed CinemAmbiente; and the Lovers Film Festival, Europe’s first fest dedicated to LGBTQ+ films, a standout on the international circuit.
- 11/23/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It’s a pleasant thing to revisit an old favorite and discover that it’s better than you remember. The tale of Zampanò and Gelsomina is Italo neo-realism 2.0: it’s got poverty, misfortune and misery but also a bankable American star or two. The visually revamped presentation of Federico Fellini’s international breakthrough picture is a wonder — no more distorted audio and images that look as if they were filmed yesterday. Several of the extras are new, but the main charm is still provided by Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn and the Nino Rota music.
La Strada
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 219
1954 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 98 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 2, 2021 / 39.95
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani, Marcella Rovena, Livia Venturini.
Cinematography: Otello Martelli, Anna Primula.
Production Designer: Mario Ravasco
Art Direction: E. Cervelli, Brunello Rondi
Film Editor: Leo Cattozzo
Original Music: Nino Rota
Written by ederico Fellini,...
La Strada
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 219
1954 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 98 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 2, 2021 / 39.95
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani, Marcella Rovena, Livia Venturini.
Cinematography: Otello Martelli, Anna Primula.
Production Designer: Mario Ravasco
Art Direction: E. Cervelli, Brunello Rondi
Film Editor: Leo Cattozzo
Original Music: Nino Rota
Written by ederico Fellini,...
- 11/6/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Photo: ‘Nights of Cabiria’ While browsing the dreaded email from Criterion Channel about what’s leaving the platform in August I was surprised to see Federico Fellini’s masterpiece ‘Nights of Cabiria’ as one of the ill-fated titles losing their spot on the streamer. Although these monthly emails are never a welcome sight, The Criterion Channel’s monthly programming is as good as it gets. I understand what it takes to curate a channel with such high standards and dedication to Cinema, however, I truly believe a film like ‘Nights of Cabiria’ deserves a place in the never-changing “all-time favorites” section. The film stands as an important part of Fellini’s career, the bookend to his part in the neorealist movement, using the last five minutes to openly bid farewell to it in a move of genius. It’s his fifth and singularly most important collaboration with Giulietta Masina, the...
- 8/24/2021
- by Jacqueline Postajian
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
It’s been 10 years since Enrico Casarosa was nominated for an Oscar for his debut short film with Pixar, “La Luna.” Now, his debut feature, “Luca,” is about to hit Disney+, and his film is solid proof that the venerated animation studio has changed enormously in the last decade.
Casarosa is just one of the new faces at Pixar stepping up from shorts to features with not just original ideas, but also deeply personal stories that break from the more high-concept films that have made the studio iconic. Last year, Dan Scanlon directed his second film, “Onward,” that dealt with brotherhood and father figures. And next year, Domee Shi will follow up her Oscar-winning short “Bao” with her debut Pixar feature, “Turning Red,” which draws from her Asian Canadian heritage.
In speaking with TheWrap, Casarosa said he’s been able to flourish under the “wonderful” leadership of “Soul” director Pete Docter...
Casarosa is just one of the new faces at Pixar stepping up from shorts to features with not just original ideas, but also deeply personal stories that break from the more high-concept films that have made the studio iconic. Last year, Dan Scanlon directed his second film, “Onward,” that dealt with brotherhood and father figures. And next year, Domee Shi will follow up her Oscar-winning short “Bao” with her debut Pixar feature, “Turning Red,” which draws from her Asian Canadian heritage.
In speaking with TheWrap, Casarosa said he’s been able to flourish under the “wonderful” leadership of “Soul” director Pete Docter...
- 6/16/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
From 23 April, the festival will offer over 150 films in streaming, homages to Volker Schlöndorff, Mia Hansen-Løve, João Nicolau and two industry days. An unusual edition, entirely online, but a programme nevertheless very rich: nine days of Festival for more than 150 films. The 39th edition of the Bergamo Film Meeting begins on Friday 23 April, with the world premiere of Brucia. Ancora. Paolo Fresu, Elio Biffi, Paolo Spaccamonti, Gerardo Chimini play Il fuoco di Giovanni Pastrone, directed by Andrea Zanoli and Stefano P. Testa and produced by Lab 80 film, in which four musicians score the 1915 film from the great director of Cabiria. Reserved to new auteurs as always, the international competition will present 7 fiction features not screened before in Italy, and 16 documentaries in the Close Up competition. The Europe, Now! section centres on the work of Mia Hansen-Løve (France) and João Nicolau (Portugal), and...
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Bad Trip (Kitao Sakurai)
The Eric Andre persona is best understood by his popular late-night Adult Swim series, succinctly titled The Eric Andre Show. In every episode Andre’s irreverent and self-destructive behavior leads him to trash his set, causing bodily harm, and torturing a slew of celebrities that range from Jimmy Kimmel to the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Andre is the equivalent of a magic mushrooms trip: wildly confusing, incoherent, sometimes causing one to burst at the seams with ecstatic comedic moments. Andre’s energy finds the perfect vessel in Bad Trip, his first starring role with a script he wrote with frequent collaborator and director Kitao Sakurai.
Bad Trip (Kitao Sakurai)
The Eric Andre persona is best understood by his popular late-night Adult Swim series, succinctly titled The Eric Andre Show. In every episode Andre’s irreverent and self-destructive behavior leads him to trash his set, causing bodily harm, and torturing a slew of celebrities that range from Jimmy Kimmel to the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Andre is the equivalent of a magic mushrooms trip: wildly confusing, incoherent, sometimes causing one to burst at the seams with ecstatic comedic moments. Andre’s energy finds the perfect vessel in Bad Trip, his first starring role with a script he wrote with frequent collaborator and director Kitao Sakurai.
- 3/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Criterion Channel has unveiled their March 2021 lineup, which includes no shortage of remarkable programming. Highlights from the slate include eight gems from Preston Sturges, Elaine May’s brilliant A New Leaf, a series featuring Black Westerns, Ann Hui’s Boat People, the new restoration of Ousmane Sembène’s Mandabi.
They will also add films from their Essential Fellini boxset, series on Dirk Bogarde and Nelly Kaplan, and Luchino Visconti’s The Damned and Death in Venice, and more. In terms of recent releases, there’s also Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century and Claire Denis’ Let the Sunshine In.
Check out the lineup below, along with the teaser for the Black Westerns series. For weekly streaming updates across all services, bookmark this page.
The Adventurer, Charles Chaplin, 1917
Bandini, Bimal Roy, 1963
Behind the Screen, Charles Chaplin, 1916
Black Jack, Ken Loach, 1979
Black Rodeo, Jeff Kanew, 1972
Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen,...
They will also add films from their Essential Fellini boxset, series on Dirk Bogarde and Nelly Kaplan, and Luchino Visconti’s The Damned and Death in Venice, and more. In terms of recent releases, there’s also Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century and Claire Denis’ Let the Sunshine In.
Check out the lineup below, along with the teaser for the Black Westerns series. For weekly streaming updates across all services, bookmark this page.
The Adventurer, Charles Chaplin, 1917
Bandini, Bimal Roy, 1963
Behind the Screen, Charles Chaplin, 1916
Black Jack, Ken Loach, 1979
Black Rodeo, Jeff Kanew, 1972
Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen,...
- 2/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton feted with Ciff’s Golden Pyramid Lifetime Achievement prize.
A streamlined edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff) kicked off on Wednesday evening with a special video message of solidarity and support for the event and its director Mohamed Hefzy from the heads of the Berlin, Cannes and Venice film festivals.
“I wish I was there with you tonight attending the opening ceremony,” said Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera, who was one of the few A-list festival directors able to hold a physical edition this year. “We need cinema and we need to show it is alive.
A streamlined edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff) kicked off on Wednesday evening with a special video message of solidarity and support for the event and its director Mohamed Hefzy from the heads of the Berlin, Cannes and Venice film festivals.
“I wish I was there with you tonight attending the opening ceremony,” said Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera, who was one of the few A-list festival directors able to hold a physical edition this year. “We need cinema and we need to show it is alive.
- 12/3/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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No matter how convenient our digital lives are, there’s still something special about physical media — especially when it’s so beautifully and thoughtfully curated by the Criterion Collection.
Each of Criterion’s releases takes an exemplary film, from auteur classic to Hollywood blockbuster and everything in between, and includes a slew of special features — commentary tracks, restored film transfers, essays about its importance in the cinematic pantheon — that help “deepen the viewer’s understanding and appreciation of the art of cinema.”
While there are literally hundreds of important classic and contemporary...
Products featured are independently selected by our editorial team and we may earn a commission from purchases made from our links.
No matter how convenient our digital lives are, there’s still something special about physical media — especially when it’s so beautifully and thoughtfully curated by the Criterion Collection.
Each of Criterion’s releases takes an exemplary film, from auteur classic to Hollywood blockbuster and everything in between, and includes a slew of special features — commentary tracks, restored film transfers, essays about its importance in the cinematic pantheon — that help “deepen the viewer’s understanding and appreciation of the art of cinema.”
While there are literally hundreds of important classic and contemporary...
- 11/5/2020
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Joining in the international celebration of Federico Fellini's 100th birthday, Criterion is thrilled to announce Essential Fellini, a fifteen-Blu-ray box set that brings together fourteen of the director's most imaginative and uncompromising works for the first time. Alongside new restorations of the theatrical features, the set also includes short and full-length documentaries about Fellini's life and work, archival interviews with his friends and collaborators, commentaries on six of the films, video essays, the director's 1968 short Toby Dammit, and much more.
The edition is accompanied by two lavishly illustrated books with hundreds of pages of notes and essays on the films by writers and filmmakers, as well as dozens of images of Fellini memorabilia. Essential Fellini is a fitting tribute to the maestro of Italian cinema!
Fifteen-blu-ray Special Edition Collector's Set Features
New 4K restorations of 11 theatrical features, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks for...
Joining in the international celebration of Federico Fellini's 100th birthday, Criterion is thrilled to announce Essential Fellini, a fifteen-Blu-ray box set that brings together fourteen of the director's most imaginative and uncompromising works for the first time. Alongside new restorations of the theatrical features, the set also includes short and full-length documentaries about Fellini's life and work, archival interviews with his friends and collaborators, commentaries on six of the films, video essays, the director's 1968 short Toby Dammit, and much more.
The edition is accompanied by two lavishly illustrated books with hundreds of pages of notes and essays on the films by writers and filmmakers, as well as dozens of images of Fellini memorabilia. Essential Fellini is a fitting tribute to the maestro of Italian cinema!
Fifteen-blu-ray Special Edition Collector's Set Features
New 4K restorations of 11 theatrical features, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks for...
- 9/4/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Classic movie buffs with $200 to burn, take note: The Criterion Collection has announced “Essential Fellini,” a box set of 14 films from legendary film director Federico Fellini.
The Blu-Ray set, which will release on November 24,will include several features, including 4K restorations of 11 of the films, as well as uncompressed monaural soundtracks for each title. Most of the director’s most celebrated films will be included in the box set. The 14 films are: “Variety Lights” (1950), “The White Sheik” (1952), “I Vitelloni” (1953), “La Strada” (1954), “Il Bidone” (1955), “Nights of Cabiria” (1957), “La Dolce Vita” (1960), “8½” (1963), “Juliet of the Spirits” (1965), “Fellini Satyricon” (1969), “Roma” (1972), “Amarcord” (1973), “And the Ship Sails On” (1983), and “Intervista” (1987).
Here’s Criterion’s announcement of the news:
One hundred years after his birth, Federico Fellini still stands apart as a giant of the cinema. The Italian maestro is defined by his dualities: the sacred and the profane, the masculine and the feminine, the provincial and the urbane.
The Blu-Ray set, which will release on November 24,will include several features, including 4K restorations of 11 of the films, as well as uncompressed monaural soundtracks for each title. Most of the director’s most celebrated films will be included in the box set. The 14 films are: “Variety Lights” (1950), “The White Sheik” (1952), “I Vitelloni” (1953), “La Strada” (1954), “Il Bidone” (1955), “Nights of Cabiria” (1957), “La Dolce Vita” (1960), “8½” (1963), “Juliet of the Spirits” (1965), “Fellini Satyricon” (1969), “Roma” (1972), “Amarcord” (1973), “And the Ship Sails On” (1983), and “Intervista” (1987).
Here’s Criterion’s announcement of the news:
One hundred years after his birth, Federico Fellini still stands apart as a giant of the cinema. The Italian maestro is defined by his dualities: the sacred and the profane, the masculine and the feminine, the provincial and the urbane.
- 8/12/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
On the day their gorgeous Agnès Varda box set arrives, The Criterion Collection has announced details on their next director collection. In celebration of his 100th birthday this year, Federico Fellini will be receiving a 15-disc box set featuring fourteen of his films, set for a release on November 24, 2020.
Titled Essential Fellini, the release features new restorations of the theatrical features, as well as short and full-length documentaries about Fellini’s life and work, archival interviews with his friends and collaborators, commentaries on six of the films, video essays, the director’s 1968 short Toby Dammit, and much more. It also includes two illustrated books with hundreds of pages of notes and essays on the films by writers and filmmakers, plus memorabilia. Check out a list of films and special features below.
List of Films
Variety Lights (1950)The White Sheik (1952)I Vitelloni (1953)LA Strada (1954)Il Bidone (1955)Nights Of Cabiria (1957)LA Dolce Vita...
Titled Essential Fellini, the release features new restorations of the theatrical features, as well as short and full-length documentaries about Fellini’s life and work, archival interviews with his friends and collaborators, commentaries on six of the films, video essays, the director’s 1968 short Toby Dammit, and much more. It also includes two illustrated books with hundreds of pages of notes and essays on the films by writers and filmmakers, plus memorabilia. Check out a list of films and special features below.
List of Films
Variety Lights (1950)The White Sheik (1952)I Vitelloni (1953)LA Strada (1954)Il Bidone (1955)Nights Of Cabiria (1957)LA Dolce Vita...
- 8/11/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The British Film Institute Southbank, the iconic London movie theater on the South Bank of the Thames River, is set for a Sept. 1 reopening with a host of health and safely measures in place.
The measures include social distancing throughout the venue, face coverings as standard for all visitors and staff, increased frequency of deep cleans, e-ticketing, and scheduling of staggered screenings.
The venue’s programming will include “Redefining Rebellion,” a season of films that share the spirit of Matthew Kassovitz’s seminal “La Haine,” that will also feature in-conversation events with Kassovitz and Riz Ahmed, who lists the film as a major influence, and a 4K rerelease of the film from Sept. 11. Other rereleases include “Ema,” “Clemency” and “Parasite: Black-and-White Edition.”
A Federico Fellini season will feature “I vitelloni,” “Nights of Cabiria,” “La dolce vita,” “8 1/2” and “Juliet of the Spirits.” Following a successful pivot to an online edition due to the pandemic,...
The measures include social distancing throughout the venue, face coverings as standard for all visitors and staff, increased frequency of deep cleans, e-ticketing, and scheduling of staggered screenings.
The venue’s programming will include “Redefining Rebellion,” a season of films that share the spirit of Matthew Kassovitz’s seminal “La Haine,” that will also feature in-conversation events with Kassovitz and Riz Ahmed, who lists the film as a major influence, and a 4K rerelease of the film from Sept. 11. Other rereleases include “Ema,” “Clemency” and “Parasite: Black-and-White Edition.”
A Federico Fellini season will feature “I vitelloni,” “Nights of Cabiria,” “La dolce vita,” “8 1/2” and “Juliet of the Spirits.” Following a successful pivot to an online edition due to the pandemic,...
- 8/4/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
As we’ll never know what film was denied winning the Palme d’Or over the weekend at the never-happened 2020 Cannes Film Festival — likely due to a caged bat in a Chinese market — this is as good a time as any to size up some of the films that, deserving or not, have won the coveted gold trophy in the 64 years of the festival’s Palme era.
Gazing over the list, what’s immediately striking is the number of lasting classics that emerged from the 1960s and 1970s; seven of the top ten best by my estimation had their world premieres at Cannes during that period, while only three from the past four decades made the grade.
By contrast, on my list for the ten worst Cannes top prize winners were four films from the 1990s and three made since then. On the plus side, more countries not previously considered...
Gazing over the list, what’s immediately striking is the number of lasting classics that emerged from the 1960s and 1970s; seven of the top ten best by my estimation had their world premieres at Cannes during that period, while only three from the past four decades made the grade.
By contrast, on my list for the ten worst Cannes top prize winners were four films from the 1990s and three made since then. On the plus side, more countries not previously considered...
- 5/25/2020
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
The David di Donatello Awards, which are modeled on the Oscars, were established in the 1950s as Italy’s film industry started thriving amid the country’s postwar reconstruction effort.
Below are some milestones that provide a partial mini-history of postwar Italian cinema.
1956: The first David di Donatello awards ceremony takes place at Rome’s Cinema Fiamma. The gold statuette, which is a replica of Michelangelo’s David, is made by Bulgari. Vittorio De Sica, Walt Disney, and Gina Lollobrigida are among the year’s prizewinners.
1957: The Davids ceremony moves to Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theater, which will host the ceremony for many more years to come. Federico Fellini wins the best director prize for “Nights of Cabiria.”
1958: Anna Magnani wins best actress for George Cukor’s “Wild Is the Wind.” Marilyn Monroe is feted for her role in “The Prince and the Showgirl,” directed by Laurence Olivier.
Below are some milestones that provide a partial mini-history of postwar Italian cinema.
1956: The first David di Donatello awards ceremony takes place at Rome’s Cinema Fiamma. The gold statuette, which is a replica of Michelangelo’s David, is made by Bulgari. Vittorio De Sica, Walt Disney, and Gina Lollobrigida are among the year’s prizewinners.
1957: The Davids ceremony moves to Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theater, which will host the ceremony for many more years to come. Federico Fellini wins the best director prize for “Nights of Cabiria.”
1958: Anna Magnani wins best actress for George Cukor’s “Wild Is the Wind.” Marilyn Monroe is feted for her role in “The Prince and the Showgirl,” directed by Laurence Olivier.
- 5/8/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The centennial celebration of Federico Fellini continues as another one of his classics has been restored and will be getting a theatrical run here in the United States. Following his first solo directorial effort The White Sheik, Film Forum will premiere the new 4K restoration of his masterpiece Nights of Cabiria, which follows Giulietta Masina as a prostitute in Rome looking for love.
Masina won Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for the drama, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957, marking the second year in a row this would happen for Fellini, following La Strada. This new 4K restoration, by TF1 Studio in partnership with Studiocanal and with the support of the Cnc, also boasts a brand-new translation and subtitles.
Ahead of an April 17 release (and likely Criterion box set), see the restoration trailer below via IndieWire.
Streetwalker “Cabiria,” a seemingly tough cookie,...
Masina won Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for the drama, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957, marking the second year in a row this would happen for Fellini, following La Strada. This new 4K restoration, by TF1 Studio in partnership with Studiocanal and with the support of the Cnc, also boasts a brand-new translation and subtitles.
Ahead of an April 17 release (and likely Criterion box set), see the restoration trailer below via IndieWire.
Streetwalker “Cabiria,” a seemingly tough cookie,...
- 3/9/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
After she won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival last month, writer/director Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” finally comes to U.S. theaters on March 13. The abortion drama first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won the bespoke U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Neorealism — which this realistic movie is in spades. The final trailer for the film has arrived, courtesy of Focus Features. Watch below.
Playing out almost like a road movie, the film is an intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support — including a local clinic that all but traumatizes her with anti-abortion scare tactics — Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) embark across state lines to New York City on a fraught journey. Complications arise that force Autumn and...
Playing out almost like a road movie, the film is an intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support — including a local clinic that all but traumatizes her with anti-abortion scare tactics — Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) embark across state lines to New York City on a fraught journey. Complications arise that force Autumn and...
- 3/4/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Just one year after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (now known as the Best International Feature Film) in 1956 for his opus “La Strada,” iconic Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini repeated the win with “Nights of Cabiria,” also starring his wife and muse Giulietta Masina. Inspired by her brief appearance in his “The White Sheik,” the episodic drama follows Masina’s Cabiria through a series of interactions and incidents that highlight her search for true love.
When the star-studded film premiered at Cannes, Masina’s work was widely hailed as her best ever, and she went on to win the festival’s Best Actress award for her startling turn as the title heroine.
Over six decades since its release, New York City’s Film Forum is gearing up for a two-week run of the film, freshened up with a new 4K restoration, which also boasts a new translation and subtitles.
When the star-studded film premiered at Cannes, Masina’s work was widely hailed as her best ever, and she went on to win the festival’s Best Actress award for her startling turn as the title heroine.
Over six decades since its release, New York City’s Film Forum is gearing up for a two-week run of the film, freshened up with a new 4K restoration, which also boasts a new translation and subtitles.
- 3/4/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Hope is indeed in short supply in William Thompson’s fussy, dour divorce drama “Hope Gap.” Adapted from Thompson’s own play (the more intriguingly titled “The Retreat from Moscow”), “Hope Gap” picks up nearly three decades into the marriage of Grace (Annette Bening) and Edward (Bill Nighy), and about 10 minutes before the union’s total collapse. Run through with the requisite tropes of a divorce drama — the tear-stained arrival of divorce papers, spying on the “other woman,” talking trash to the child caught in the middle —
Introduced through a series of voiceovers meant to set up the film’s three primary characters — a conceit that gets old fast, only to reappear at random moments throughout the rest of the film — “Hope Gap” opens with son Jamie (Josh O’Connor) musing about the film’s eponymous location, a local spot that once held happy memories for his family of three. Soon enough,...
Introduced through a series of voiceovers meant to set up the film’s three primary characters — a conceit that gets old fast, only to reappear at random moments throughout the rest of the film — “Hope Gap” opens with son Jamie (Josh O’Connor) musing about the film’s eponymous location, a local spot that once held happy memories for his family of three. Soon enough,...
- 3/3/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
It sounds almost too perfect: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s entertainer. Of course, who else could it be, really? It is so seemingly predestined, in fact, that Hanks’s first onscreen appearance as Fred Rogers elicits knowing laughter from the audience. Yes, Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers looks and sounds exactly how you would imagine. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, however, is much more than an obvious biopic. It’s not really a biopic at all. Nor is it a rehash of 2018’s much-heralded documentary profile of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be MyNeighbor?...
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
It sounds almost too perfect: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s entertainer. Of course, who else could it be, really? It is so seemingly predestined, in fact, that Hanks’s first onscreen appearance as Fred Rogers elicits knowing laughter from the audience. Yes, Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers looks and sounds exactly how you would imagine. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, however, is much more than an obvious biopic. It’s not really a biopic at all. Nor is it a rehash of 2018’s much-heralded documentary profile of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be MyNeighbor?...
- 2/7/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
on this day in showbiz-related history...
1944 Yul Brynner marries his first wife, actress Virginia Gilmore, in Los Angeles. They're both in their mid 20s. She's already made 15 movies but he's just starting out with two Broadway shows under his belt. Their marriage will last 16 years and they will have one child together. Rock Brynner (their son) will go on to write a book about his dad and their family history.
1954 Federico Fellini's La Strada premieres at the Venice Film Festival and goes on to win the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Fellini will go on to completely own that category, winning thrice more with The Nights of Cabiria (1957), 8½ (1963), and Amarcord (1974)
Macy Gray, The King's Speech, and more after the jump...
1944 Yul Brynner marries his first wife, actress Virginia Gilmore, in Los Angeles. They're both in their mid 20s. She's already made 15 movies but he's just starting out with two Broadway shows under his belt. Their marriage will last 16 years and they will have one child together. Rock Brynner (their son) will go on to write a book about his dad and their family history.
1954 Federico Fellini's La Strada premieres at the Venice Film Festival and goes on to win the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Fellini will go on to completely own that category, winning thrice more with The Nights of Cabiria (1957), 8½ (1963), and Amarcord (1974)
Macy Gray, The King's Speech, and more after the jump...
- 9/6/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Rome Open City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero: Filmed mostly on the streets in newly-liberated territory, Roberto Rossellini’s gripping war-related shows are blessed with new restorations but still reflect their rough origins. The second picture, the greater masterpiece, looks as if it were improvised out of sheer artistic will.
Roberto Rosselini’s War Trilogy
Rome Open City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 500 (497, 498, 499)
1945-1948 / B&W / 1:37 & 1:33 flat full frame / 302 minutes / Street Date July 11, 2017 / available from the Criterion Collection 79.96
Starring: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani; Dots Johnson, Harriet White Medin; Edmund Moeschke, Franz-Otto Krüger.
Cinematography: Ubaldo Arata; Otello Martelli; Robert Julliard.
Film Editor: Eraldo Da Roma
Original Music: Renzo Rossellini
Written by Sergio Amidei, Alberto Consiglio, Federico Fellini; Klaus Mann, Marcello Pagliero, Alfred Hayes, Vasco Pratolini; Max Kolpé, Carlo Lizzani.
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Criterion released an identical-for-content DVD set of this trilogy in 2010; the new Blu-ray...
Roberto Rosselini’s War Trilogy
Rome Open City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 500 (497, 498, 499)
1945-1948 / B&W / 1:37 & 1:33 flat full frame / 302 minutes / Street Date July 11, 2017 / available from the Criterion Collection 79.96
Starring: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani; Dots Johnson, Harriet White Medin; Edmund Moeschke, Franz-Otto Krüger.
Cinematography: Ubaldo Arata; Otello Martelli; Robert Julliard.
Film Editor: Eraldo Da Roma
Original Music: Renzo Rossellini
Written by Sergio Amidei, Alberto Consiglio, Federico Fellini; Klaus Mann, Marcello Pagliero, Alfred Hayes, Vasco Pratolini; Max Kolpé, Carlo Lizzani.
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Criterion released an identical-for-content DVD set of this trilogy in 2010; the new Blu-ray...
- 6/19/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“You are the first woman on the first day of creation. You are mother, sister, lover, friend, angel, devil, earth, home.”
La Dolce Vita screens Wednesday September 28th at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in ‘The Loop’) as part of their new ‘Classics in the Loop’ film series. The movie starts at 7pm and admission is $7. It will be on The Tivoli’s big screen.
There is sexy, and then there is Anita Eckberg, whose voluptuous figure splashing around the Trevi Fountain in Rome in Federico Fellini’s 1960 masterpiece La Dolce Vita, while wearing that bellissima black dress, was the ultimate symbol of male fantasy. The film won the Academy Award in 1960 for Best Costumes, thanks in large part to the black sleeveless gown that Miss Eckberg displayed in that famous scene. Costume designer Piero Gherardi worked in neo-realist Italian cinema from 1954 to 1971, notably on four key films by Federico Fellini.
La Dolce Vita screens Wednesday September 28th at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in ‘The Loop’) as part of their new ‘Classics in the Loop’ film series. The movie starts at 7pm and admission is $7. It will be on The Tivoli’s big screen.
There is sexy, and then there is Anita Eckberg, whose voluptuous figure splashing around the Trevi Fountain in Rome in Federico Fellini’s 1960 masterpiece La Dolce Vita, while wearing that bellissima black dress, was the ultimate symbol of male fantasy. The film won the Academy Award in 1960 for Best Costumes, thanks in large part to the black sleeveless gown that Miss Eckberg displayed in that famous scene. Costume designer Piero Gherardi worked in neo-realist Italian cinema from 1954 to 1971, notably on four key films by Federico Fellini.
- 9/22/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Little Black Dress—From Mourning to Night is a free exhibit currently at The Missouri History Museum (Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri). The exhibit runs through September 5th.
The Little Black Dress – a simple, short cocktail dress—is a sartorial staple for most contemporary women. Prior to the early 20th century, simple, unadorned black garments were limited to mourning, and strict social rules regarding mourning dress were rigidly observed.Featuring over 60 dresses from the Missouri History Museum’s world-renowned textile collection, this fun yet thought-provoking exhibit explores the subject of mourning, as well as the transition of black from a symbol of grief to a symbol of high fashion. You’ll also see fascinating artifacts—from hair jewelry to tear catchers—that were once a regular part of the mourning process. Plus, you’ll have the chance to share your own memories of your favorite...
The Little Black Dress – a simple, short cocktail dress—is a sartorial staple for most contemporary women. Prior to the early 20th century, simple, unadorned black garments were limited to mourning, and strict social rules regarding mourning dress were rigidly observed.Featuring over 60 dresses from the Missouri History Museum’s world-renowned textile collection, this fun yet thought-provoking exhibit explores the subject of mourning, as well as the transition of black from a symbol of grief to a symbol of high fashion. You’ll also see fascinating artifacts—from hair jewelry to tear catchers—that were once a regular part of the mourning process. Plus, you’ll have the chance to share your own memories of your favorite...
- 4/26/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Today in 1966, Sweet Charity opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 608 performances. Featuring music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon, the musical was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and also ran in the West End as well as having revivals and international productions.
- 1/29/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Wonders
Directed by Alice Rohrwacher
Italy, 2014
Gelsomina (Maria Alexandra Lungu) is a 12 year-old head of household in a family of beekeepers. Her father Wolfgang (Sam Louwyck) keeps a tight watch on the business in their isolated plot of land in the Tuscan region. Two new events – the arrival of a reality TV show, and of a young boy, Martin (Luis Huilca) – change her world dramatically.
The opening of Alice Rohrwacher’s transcendent film is at once beautifully disjointed and metaphorical. A group of hunters move through the pitch-blackness only to suddenly and surprisingly come across the beekeeper’s house, secluded almost to the point of comedy.
The setup feels allegorical: the hunters are the real world, Gelsomina and company are a fiction, and the reality TV show will somehow bridge that gap. It’s not the only moment where Rohrwacher’s film feels nearly magical – a camel in the backyard,...
Directed by Alice Rohrwacher
Italy, 2014
Gelsomina (Maria Alexandra Lungu) is a 12 year-old head of household in a family of beekeepers. Her father Wolfgang (Sam Louwyck) keeps a tight watch on the business in their isolated plot of land in the Tuscan region. Two new events – the arrival of a reality TV show, and of a young boy, Martin (Luis Huilca) – change her world dramatically.
The opening of Alice Rohrwacher’s transcendent film is at once beautifully disjointed and metaphorical. A group of hunters move through the pitch-blackness only to suddenly and surprisingly come across the beekeeper’s house, secluded almost to the point of comedy.
The setup feels allegorical: the hunters are the real world, Gelsomina and company are a fiction, and the reality TV show will somehow bridge that gap. It’s not the only moment where Rohrwacher’s film feels nearly magical – a camel in the backyard,...
- 11/22/2015
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
Chicago – The showcase and respect given to filmmakers at the recently completed 2015 Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) meant that the top directors made appearances on behalf of their featured films. James Ponsoldt of “The End of the Tour” and Patrick Brice of “The Overnight” are two prime artists at the top of their game.
HollywoodChicago.com also got a chance to talk to Ponsoldt and Brice after their screenings at the Ccff, and the insights provided context to their art.
James Ponsoldt, Director of “The End of the Tour”
James Ponsoldt is a great friend to the festival, having screened his film “The Spectacular Now” at the first Ccff in 2013. He returned with “The End of of the Tour,” a superior and poignant understanding of author David Foster Wallace (a career-defining role for Jason Segel), as he takes his last book tour promoting his famous novel, “Infinite Jest.”
James Ponsoldt...
HollywoodChicago.com also got a chance to talk to Ponsoldt and Brice after their screenings at the Ccff, and the insights provided context to their art.
James Ponsoldt, Director of “The End of the Tour”
James Ponsoldt is a great friend to the festival, having screened his film “The Spectacular Now” at the first Ccff in 2013. He returned with “The End of of the Tour,” a superior and poignant understanding of author David Foster Wallace (a career-defining role for Jason Segel), as he takes his last book tour promoting his famous novel, “Infinite Jest.”
James Ponsoldt...
- 5/11/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
'The Devil Strikes at Night,' with Mario Adorf as World War II era serial killer Bruno Lüdke 'The Devil Strikes at Night' movie review: Serial killing vs. mass murder in unsubtle but intriguing World War II political drama After more than a decade in Hollywood, German director Robert Siodmak (Academy Award nominated for the 1946 film noir The Killers) resumed his European career in the mid-1950s. In 1957, he directed The Devil Strikes at Night / Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam, an intriguing, well-crafted crime drama about the pursuit of a serial killer – and its political consequences – during the last months of the mass-murderous Nazi regime. Inspired by real events, The Devil Strikes at Night begins as war-scarred Hamburg is deeply shaken by the horrific murder of a waitress. Through the Homicide Bureau, inspector Axel Kersten (Claus Holm) begins an investigation that leads him to a mentally disabled laborer,...
- 5/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
I'm a huge fan of Federico Fellini's films, films that have essentially become part of the the fabric of cinema history. This largely refers to La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, La Strada, The Nights of Cabiria and Amarcord. Of course, I've also seen and enjoyed I Vitelloni and Juliet of the Spirits while also not particularly loving The White Sheik or Ginger & Fred. I mention this only as a note that I will pretty much devour whatever Fellini feature is placed in front of me, and as much as I was ready to delve into this new Criterion release of his 1969 feature Fellini Satyricon, I can't say the trip was an enjoyable one. Admittedly, Criterion always manages to deliver something intriguing with their releases and this new Blu-ray edition of Fellini Satyricon is no different, but not for the film itself, more for the supplemental material that makes you start to...
- 2/24/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Have you ever wondered what are the films that inspire the next generation of visionary filmmakers? As part of our monthly Ioncinephile profile (read this September), we ask the filmmaker the incredibly arduous task of identifying their top ten list of favorite films. Craig Johnson (who sees his The Skeleton Twins receive its theatrical release on September 12th) put together this top 10 (as of September 2014).
Carrie - Brian De Palma (1976)
“Freaky, funny, arty, beautiful, … and fucking scary. Sissy Spacek breaks your heart. And that seventies split screen action? Badass. This movie delivers on all levels at all times.”
Election – Alexander Payne (1999)
“Every moment of this movie rings true. Painfully funny, painfully smart and so perfectly constructed. My sister and I quote it whenever we see each other. Might be a perfect film.”
The Graduate – Mike Nichols (1967)
“The look on Mrs. Robinson’s face when Benjamin leaves her in the hallway.
Carrie - Brian De Palma (1976)
“Freaky, funny, arty, beautiful, … and fucking scary. Sissy Spacek breaks your heart. And that seventies split screen action? Badass. This movie delivers on all levels at all times.”
Election – Alexander Payne (1999)
“Every moment of this movie rings true. Painfully funny, painfully smart and so perfectly constructed. My sister and I quote it whenever we see each other. Might be a perfect film.”
The Graduate – Mike Nichols (1967)
“The look on Mrs. Robinson’s face when Benjamin leaves her in the hallway.
- 9/7/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The academy introduced the Foreign Language Film category in 1956 and Italy claimed a record 10 trophies in this race. However, the last of these was "Life is Beautiful" back in 1998. That 15-year drought ended this year with a win for "The Great Beauty." The 10 films that won the competitive Oscar, out of 29 nominations: 1956: "La Strada" 1957: "Nights of Cabiria" 1963: "8 1/2" 1964: "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" 1970: "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" 1971: "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" 1974: "Amarcord" 1989: "Cinema Paradiso" 1991: "Mediterraneo" 1998: "Life Is Beautiful" From 1947 to 1955, the academy gave out non-competitive honorary awards to foreign language films and Italian fare claimed three of these: -Break- 1947: "Shoeshine" 1949: "The Bicycle Thief" 1950: "T...
- 3/3/2014
- Gold Derby
Today in 1966, Sweet Charity opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 608 performances. Featuring music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon, the musical was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and also ran in the West End as well as having revivals and international productions.
- 1/29/2014
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
I first watched Federico Fellini's 1960 film, La Dolce Vita, just over five years ago and with this week marking what would have been the filmmaker's 94th birthday I've chosen La Dolce Vita as the debut film in my Best Movies feature. Not because I believe it to be his best (though it certainly is one of the best), but largely because I've had the urge to watch it again ever since learning Paramount has finally been granted exclusive rights to the film, prompting me to hope it will finally receive a domestic Blu-ray release sometime soon. Captured in lovely black-and-white, Otello Martelli's cinematography lives up to the literal translation of the film's title -- "the sweet life" -- while the narrative focuses on a character living a life more empty than "sweet". Marking the first time Marcello Mastroianni and Fellini would work together, Mastroianni plays Marcello Rubini, a...
- 1/22/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
By Terence Johnson
Managing Editor
The Oscar race is never a dull one and that couldn’t be any more apparent than in the race for Best Foreign Language film. This year is certainly shaping up to be a battle of David vs. Goliath if you looked at the histories of the countries competing. In one corner, you have Italy, with a whopping 12 wins in this category, facing off with a country like Cambodia, with no Oscar nominations. But such is the beauty of the awards season and the Oscars. So before the nominations come out, here’s an Oscar primer to get you caught up on the Foreign Language films.
Belgium – 2013 Nominee: The Broken Circle Breakdown
Logline/Synopsis: Elise and Didier fall in love at first sight, in spite of their differences. He talks, she listens. He’s a romantic atheist, she’s a religious realist. When their daughter becomes seriously ill,...
Managing Editor
The Oscar race is never a dull one and that couldn’t be any more apparent than in the race for Best Foreign Language film. This year is certainly shaping up to be a battle of David vs. Goliath if you looked at the histories of the countries competing. In one corner, you have Italy, with a whopping 12 wins in this category, facing off with a country like Cambodia, with no Oscar nominations. But such is the beauty of the awards season and the Oscars. So before the nominations come out, here’s an Oscar primer to get you caught up on the Foreign Language films.
Belgium – 2013 Nominee: The Broken Circle Breakdown
Logline/Synopsis: Elise and Didier fall in love at first sight, in spite of their differences. He talks, she listens. He’s a romantic atheist, she’s a religious realist. When their daughter becomes seriously ill,...
- 1/8/2014
- by Terence Johnson
- Scott Feinberg
The beginning of a calendar year is an active time for the serious movie-watcher. Besides providing the most accelerated moment of awards pre-season and a profusion of top 10 lists, the new year also portends surprises from the influx of films annually chosen for preservation by the Nfpb and the new streaming contracts that motivate some heavy updates on your Netflix queue. But the Duke School of Law has also annually contributed another litany of films to these annual aggregations: films (and other creative works) that, as of January 1st of each year, they argue should be, but aren’t, added to the public domain. According to the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, if the Copyright Act of 1976 (which went into effect in 1978) had never been passed, as of last week many works from 1957 would go into public domain in the United States, including classic films like David Lean’s Bridge on the River Kwai...
- 1/7/2014
- by Landon Palmer
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Tom Bernard, Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Felicity Jones, Ralph Fiennes, Gabrielle Tana, Michael Barker Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The Invisible Woman appeared last night at the Museum of Modern Art's Celeste Bartos Theater in New York City. Ralph Fiennes, director and star (as Charles Dickens) introduced the Sony Pictures Classics film and his co-star Felicity Jones who portrays Dickens' mistress Nelly Terman. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Frances Ternan, Nelly's mother, Joanna Scanlan is Dickens' wife. Tom Hollander, Perdita Weeks, Amanda Hale, Tom Burke, John Kavanagh and Michael Marcus round out the cast. Also on hand were The Invisible Woman's producers Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Gabrielle Tana, as well as Sony Pictures Classics co-founders Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. During the after party at Le Cirque presented by Carlo Pazolini, Julie Taymor gave me her take on another invisible woman, Giulietta Masina, in Feliini's Nights Of Cabiria.
Prior to the screening, I...
The Invisible Woman appeared last night at the Museum of Modern Art's Celeste Bartos Theater in New York City. Ralph Fiennes, director and star (as Charles Dickens) introduced the Sony Pictures Classics film and his co-star Felicity Jones who portrays Dickens' mistress Nelly Terman. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Frances Ternan, Nelly's mother, Joanna Scanlan is Dickens' wife. Tom Hollander, Perdita Weeks, Amanda Hale, Tom Burke, John Kavanagh and Michael Marcus round out the cast. Also on hand were The Invisible Woman's producers Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Gabrielle Tana, as well as Sony Pictures Classics co-founders Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. During the after party at Le Cirque presented by Carlo Pazolini, Julie Taymor gave me her take on another invisible woman, Giulietta Masina, in Feliini's Nights Of Cabiria.
Prior to the screening, I...
- 12/11/2013
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
*Updated* We have great news for fans of Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man. It was recently announced that an extended cut of the 1973 horror cult classic would be released to theaters and on Blu-ray/DVD in the UK. A limited theatrical run in the Us has been announced and we have a list of dates and cities.
Due to the fact that the movie originally screened as part of a double bill, the version that appeared in theaters was shorter than Hardy’s actual cut. While the extended footage has been seen in the past, the original negatives were lost. Here’s what Robin Hardy had to say about the discovery:
via Screen Daily: “StudioCanal contacted me last year in their search for the original materials that have been missing…. I’m very pleased to announce that StudioCanal have been able to find an actual print of The Wicker Man,...
Due to the fact that the movie originally screened as part of a double bill, the version that appeared in theaters was shorter than Hardy’s actual cut. While the extended footage has been seen in the past, the original negatives were lost. Here’s what Robin Hardy had to say about the discovery:
via Screen Daily: “StudioCanal contacted me last year in their search for the original materials that have been missing…. I’m very pleased to announce that StudioCanal have been able to find an actual print of The Wicker Man,...
- 8/26/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Juliette Lewis has signed with UTA. She had been with Buchwald/Fortitude until the agency split this spring. At the age of 18, she received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her supporting role in Martin Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear. Her steady and prolific film career has spanned comedy (Christmas Vacation, Mixed Nuts), drama (Husbands and Wives, What's Eating Gilbert Grape) and genre thrillers (Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn). Story: Juliette Lewis to Star in 'Nights of Cabiria' Remake The recent Portlandia guest star was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her work in Showtime's 2001 adaptation of the
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- 6/7/2013
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Who would have known that forty-four years after Raja Harishchandra (1913), India would be subjected to one of the most powerful and touching epics to have ever released from their film industry. This film was of course Mehboob Khan’s magnum opus Mother India (1957). A remake of Khan’s previous film Aurat (1940), Mother India has renowned actress Nargis playing the role of Radha; who is by far one of the greatest characters to have graced the big screen. The film was released 10 years after India’s independence and partition from British colonial rule. It is centred on the social and economic conditions of the country during the post-independence era and met with unanimous acclaim both from the critics and the public.
The story is based on Radha, Shamu (Raaj Kumar) and their children, who are subjected to extreme exploitation from Sukhilala (Kanhaiyalal) after Shamu’s mother takes a 500 rupee loan from...
The story is based on Radha, Shamu (Raaj Kumar) and their children, who are subjected to extreme exploitation from Sukhilala (Kanhaiyalal) after Shamu’s mother takes a 500 rupee loan from...
- 6/3/2013
- by Bodrul Chaudhury
- Bollyspice
Specialized distributor Rialto Pictures has acquired all U.S. rights to five first-run films from French giant Studiocanal. The five films, all U.S. premieres, will go out under Rialto’s new label “Rialto Premieres.” First release for Rialto Premieres will be director Clément Michel’s hit romantic comedy The Stroller Strategy, starring Raphaël Personnaz and Charlotte Le Bon. Also starring, French heartthrob Personnaz (The Princess of Montpensier, Anna Karenina) as a Parisian who accidentally becomes the guardian of an infant – then pretends to be his real father in order to win back Le Bon, the girlfriend who dumped him a year before. This will be Michel’s directorial debut, and the it is set to open at New York’s Angelika Film Center on June 14. Other first-run Studiocanal films in the new deal with Rialto include Hotel Normandy, starring Eric Elmosnino (Gainsbourg) and Helena Noguerra, and Demi-Soeur, directed by and starring Josiane Balasko. Since its founding, New York-based Rialto’s close partnership with Studiocanal has included major reissues of such jewels of the French company’s classic library as Grand Illusion, The Third Man, and Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria. For the past year, Rialto has been the U.S. theatrical distributor of Studiocanal’s catalogue of over 2,000 titles. Described by the Los Angeles Times as “the gold standard of reissue distributors," New York-based Rialto Pictures was founded in 1997 by Bruce Goldstein. Adrienne Halpern joined him as co-president a year later, with Eric Di Bernardo joining the company as National Sales Director in 2002. Rialto’s vast library of classics includes films by Godard, Fellini, Renoir, Kurosawa, Buñuel, Costa-Gavras, Pontecorvo, Carol Reed, Michael Powell, Jules Dassin, Jean-Pierre Melville, and many others. 2012 marked Rialto’s fifteenth anniversary, a milestone celebrated with a retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The company’s re-releases this year include Godard’s rarely-seen Le Petit Soldat; Jean-Pierre Melville’s final film, Un Flic, starring Alain Delon and Catherine Deneuve; Joseph Losey’s The Servant, written by Harold Pinter; and Claude Autant-Lara’s A Pig Across Paris (La Traversée de Paris), starring Jean Gabin. Also beginning in June, Rialto will tour “The Hitchcock 9” -- Alfred Hitchcock’s nine surviving silent films, all newly restored by the British Film Institute -- in collaboration with the BFI and Park Circus Films. The “Hitchcock 9” tour will kick off in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
- 5/3/2013
- by Emma Griffiths
- Sydney's Buzz
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