When you think of Sean Connery, you probably think of either James Bond or Indiana Jones' dad. If you grew up in the '90s you might even think of that movie where he was on a submarine, or vaguely recall the marketing for a film where he played opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones. But there's no doubt that long before Connery was advising the "Hunt for Red October" director to rewrite the film's script, or complaining about "Entrapment" having too many special effects, he was best known as either England's greatest spy or as Dr. Henry Jones, Sr.
Still, when it comes to an actor as talented as Connery, not everyone thinks of these roles as his best. If you ask Christopher Nolan, for instance, he'll tell you that the Scottish star's finest performance came in Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama "The Offence," with Nolan recently celebrating the film for containing...
Still, when it comes to an actor as talented as Connery, not everyone thinks of these roles as his best. If you ask Christopher Nolan, for instance, he'll tell you that the Scottish star's finest performance came in Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama "The Offence," with Nolan recently celebrating the film for containing...
- 5/13/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
The casual James Bond fan might think that author Ian Fleming invented all of 007's trademarks before his novels were adapted for the screen, but the truth is a lot more complex. One of the biggest influences on the Bond we've all come to know and love was director Terence Young, who oversaw the spy's first big-screen outing in 1962, "Dr. No." Without Young, Bond would have arguably failed. The filmmaker brought his sophistication, fashion sense, and humor to Bond, all of which would come to define the character in the popular consciousness.
Of course, Young undoubtedly benefited from having Sean Connery as his star. Playing James Bond was, however, a double-edged sword for Connery. The actor debuted as England's greatest spy in "Dr. No," but over the course of the next decade would punctuate his tenure as 007 with remarkably nuanced and powerful performances in such classics as 1965's "The Hill...
Of course, Young undoubtedly benefited from having Sean Connery as his star. Playing James Bond was, however, a double-edged sword for Connery. The actor debuted as England's greatest spy in "Dr. No," but over the course of the next decade would punctuate his tenure as 007 with remarkably nuanced and powerful performances in such classics as 1965's "The Hill...
- 9/3/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Denis O’Dell, a producer on two Beatles movies as well as “How I Won the War,” “Robin and Marian” and “Heaven’s Gate,” died Dec. 30 from natural causes in Almería, Spain at his home in San José, Cabo de Gata. He was 98.
Father of “Exodus: Gods and Kings” producer Denise O’Dell and grandfather of Denis Pedregosa, producer of Netflix hit “The Paramedic,” O’Dell’s connection with movies stretches back to the ‘40s.
He had already produced six movies, such as Brian Desmond Hurst’s “The Playboy of the Western World” in 1962, before his association with the Beatles, which began in professional terms with O’Dell taking an associate producer credit on Richard Lester’s “A Hard Day’s Night,” starring the Beatles and released in 1964.
O’Dell is generally credited with persuading John Lennon to go to Almería to star in the absurdist WWII drama “How I Won the War,” during...
Father of “Exodus: Gods and Kings” producer Denise O’Dell and grandfather of Denis Pedregosa, producer of Netflix hit “The Paramedic,” O’Dell’s connection with movies stretches back to the ‘40s.
He had already produced six movies, such as Brian Desmond Hurst’s “The Playboy of the Western World” in 1962, before his association with the Beatles, which began in professional terms with O’Dell taking an associate producer credit on Richard Lester’s “A Hard Day’s Night,” starring the Beatles and released in 1964.
O’Dell is generally credited with persuading John Lennon to go to Almería to star in the absurdist WWII drama “How I Won the War,” during...
- 12/31/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu’s October, 2021 schedule has a wealth of originals, catalog titles and season premieres.
Among the originals is the series premiere of Dopesick starring Michael Keaton on October 13. In terms of season premieres, Hulu will offer the new season’s episodes of ‘SNL’ every Saturday, starting October 3. And speaking of catalog titles, the service has 10 popular Star Trek films dropping October 1.
See below for the full list of programming available on Hulu in October.
October 1
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Air Force One
Ali
The Bachelorette (S13)
Big Sky (season premiere)
Blippi’s Spooky Spells Halloween
Boxcar Bertha
Cake (season premiere)
Cedar Rapids
Chasing Papi
Class
Clifford
Clockstoppers
Code 46
Crimson Tide
Date Night
Dead of Winter
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
Dr. No
Edge of the World
Escape from Alcatraz
Exorcist: The Beginning
The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave
Flatliners
From Russia with Love...
Among the originals is the series premiere of Dopesick starring Michael Keaton on October 13. In terms of season premieres, Hulu will offer the new season’s episodes of ‘SNL’ every Saturday, starting October 3. And speaking of catalog titles, the service has 10 popular Star Trek films dropping October 1.
See below for the full list of programming available on Hulu in October.
October 1
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Air Force One
Ali
The Bachelorette (S13)
Big Sky (season premiere)
Blippi’s Spooky Spells Halloween
Boxcar Bertha
Cake (season premiere)
Cedar Rapids
Chasing Papi
Class
Clifford
Clockstoppers
Code 46
Crimson Tide
Date Night
Dead of Winter
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
Dr. No
Edge of the World
Escape from Alcatraz
Exorcist: The Beginning
The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave
Flatliners
From Russia with Love...
- 9/22/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
In the course of his nearly 50-year career on the screen, the late Sean Connery portrayed many famous characters, both fictional and non-fictional. Among those were, of course, Ian Fleming’s suave spy James Bond in seven films; Daniel Druvot in 1975’s The Man Who Would Be King; King Arthur in 1995’s First Knight, Robin Hood in 1976’s Robin and Marian; Dr. Henry Jones Sr. in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and many more.
One role Connery never got to play was Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. But he did come close, playing a character who was based at least in part on Holmes, in the 1986 movie The Name of the Rose.
Based on the best-selling 1980 novel by Italian historian, philosopher and author Umberto Eco, the book and the film are set in 1327, as a Franciscan monk named William of Baskerville (Connery) and his young...
One role Connery never got to play was Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. But he did come close, playing a character who was based at least in part on Holmes, in the 1986 movie The Name of the Rose.
Based on the best-selling 1980 novel by Italian historian, philosopher and author Umberto Eco, the book and the film are set in 1327, as a Franciscan monk named William of Baskerville (Connery) and his young...
- 11/3/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Every actor wants to work. And a small percentage of those actors get to work in films that people remember; and a much smaller percentage get to play an iconic character over the course of several films; and an infinitesimal percentage manage to find success by tackling other roles after becoming famous as that iconic character. Which brings us to Sean Connery, who died this week at the age of 90.
His portrayal of super-spy James Bond was as essential to the 1960s as The Beatles. He wasn’t technically the first Bond — Barry Nelson played the Ian Fleming character in an American TV adaptation of “Casino Royale” in 1954 — but Connery invented an action hero who was overtly sexual in a way that his predecessors hadn’t been, although still able to dispatch the bad guys with ruthless efficiency, all the while never spoiling the crease in his tuxedo.
Connery himself came from working-class origins,...
His portrayal of super-spy James Bond was as essential to the 1960s as The Beatles. He wasn’t technically the first Bond — Barry Nelson played the Ian Fleming character in an American TV adaptation of “Casino Royale” in 1954 — but Connery invented an action hero who was overtly sexual in a way that his predecessors hadn’t been, although still able to dispatch the bad guys with ruthless efficiency, all the while never spoiling the crease in his tuxedo.
Connery himself came from working-class origins,...
- 10/31/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Sean Connery celebrates his 88th birthday on August 25. One can only assume that the man who turned James Bond into a 50-plus year film franchise is toasting the event with a martini. Yet 007 isn’t the only iconic role for the actor. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked from worst to best.
Connery became a star with the first Bond film, “Dr. No” (1962). In that film, Connery set the bar for every actor who would have to play the debonair British agent armed with an arsenal of gadgets and a way with the ladies. He reprised the role six subsequent times: “From Russia with Love” (1963), “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” (1965), “You Only Live Twice” (1967), “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971), and “Never Say Never Again” (1983).
After decades in front of the camera, Connery finally won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for Brian de...
Connery became a star with the first Bond film, “Dr. No” (1962). In that film, Connery set the bar for every actor who would have to play the debonair British agent armed with an arsenal of gadgets and a way with the ladies. He reprised the role six subsequent times: “From Russia with Love” (1963), “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” (1965), “You Only Live Twice” (1967), “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971), and “Never Say Never Again” (1983).
After decades in front of the camera, Connery finally won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for Brian de...
- 8/25/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Issue #37 (January 2017)
Steven J. Rubin's 40th anniversary tribute to "Rocky"; extensive coverage On the making of this landmark film with exclusive comments from key members of the cast and crew.
Christopher Weedman celebrates the career of British actress Anne Heywood with insights from the lady herself.
Diane Rodgers' homage to the Monkees' only feature film, "Head"- with a screenplay by Jack Nicholson!
Martin Gainsford diagnoses the problems of bringing Doc Savage to the big screen in the ill-fated 1970s production.
Nick Anez extols the virtues of Sidney Lumet's brilliant but little-scene "The Offence" with a powerhouse performance by Sean Connery.
Tim Greaves examines the creepy-but-neglected chiller "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" starring young Jodie Foster.
Did Sergio Leone "ghost direct" the cult Italian Western "My Name is Nobody"? Chris Button examines the case for and against this theory.
Raymond Benson works overtime, providing us with...
Steven J. Rubin's 40th anniversary tribute to "Rocky"; extensive coverage On the making of this landmark film with exclusive comments from key members of the cast and crew.
Christopher Weedman celebrates the career of British actress Anne Heywood with insights from the lady herself.
Diane Rodgers' homage to the Monkees' only feature film, "Head"- with a screenplay by Jack Nicholson!
Martin Gainsford diagnoses the problems of bringing Doc Savage to the big screen in the ill-fated 1970s production.
Nick Anez extols the virtues of Sidney Lumet's brilliant but little-scene "The Offence" with a powerhouse performance by Sean Connery.
Tim Greaves examines the creepy-but-neglected chiller "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" starring young Jodie Foster.
Did Sergio Leone "ghost direct" the cult Italian Western "My Name is Nobody"? Chris Button examines the case for and against this theory.
Raymond Benson works overtime, providing us with...
- 1/5/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Simon Brew Oct 7, 2016
From Demolition Man and James Bond through to Speed 2 and Steven Seagal: the movies filmmakers took on to get other projects made.
One for the studio, one for yourself? That’s sometimes been the case when it comes to making movies, and we suspect – under the surface – it happens more than we’re ever told. However, every now and then, it becomes clear that someone has signed up for a movie, with getting the film they really, really want to make as the hidden reason. Such as in these cases…
Nigel Hawthorne: Demolition Man
The late, great Nigel Hawthorne wasn't much of a fan of the much-liked Sylvester Stallone-Wesley Snipes showdown, Demolition Man. In his autobiography Straight Face, Hawthorne called the experience of making the film "miserable", and wasn't impressed with the time lost on set waiting around for Stallone and Snipes.
But...
From Demolition Man and James Bond through to Speed 2 and Steven Seagal: the movies filmmakers took on to get other projects made.
One for the studio, one for yourself? That’s sometimes been the case when it comes to making movies, and we suspect – under the surface – it happens more than we’re ever told. However, every now and then, it becomes clear that someone has signed up for a movie, with getting the film they really, really want to make as the hidden reason. Such as in these cases…
Nigel Hawthorne: Demolition Man
The late, great Nigel Hawthorne wasn't much of a fan of the much-liked Sylvester Stallone-Wesley Snipes showdown, Demolition Man. In his autobiography Straight Face, Hawthorne called the experience of making the film "miserable", and wasn't impressed with the time lost on set waiting around for Stallone and Snipes.
But...
- 9/27/2016
- Den of Geek
By Dawn Dabell
A subject which seems to rear its head more and more in today’s society is paedophilia. It feels like every other week brings with it some story of a TV star, singer, film star or MP who has preyed upon young and vulnerable victims for their sexual gratification. That’s not counting the number of domestic cases or the growing problem of online abuse and degradation against minors. Thankfully the culprits are in a minority, but such stories - when they break - send ripples of shame and outrage throughout the journalistic world.
Film-makers have been tackling this most difficult of subjects for longer than people realise. One example is Hammer’s Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (1960), which was largely dismissed by critics when released, but is actually a very well-executed attempt which highlights the horrors of child molestation. If nothing else, it is worth...
A subject which seems to rear its head more and more in today’s society is paedophilia. It feels like every other week brings with it some story of a TV star, singer, film star or MP who has preyed upon young and vulnerable victims for their sexual gratification. That’s not counting the number of domestic cases or the growing problem of online abuse and degradation against minors. Thankfully the culprits are in a minority, but such stories - when they break - send ripples of shame and outrage throughout the journalistic world.
Film-makers have been tackling this most difficult of subjects for longer than people realise. One example is Hammer’s Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (1960), which was largely dismissed by critics when released, but is actually a very well-executed attempt which highlights the horrors of child molestation. If nothing else, it is worth...
- 7/21/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
(Sidney Lumet, 1972; Eureka!, 15)
By the mid-1960s Sean Connery had completed his contract with Saltzman and Broccoli and feared being typecast as 007. So to lure him back to appear in a sixth Bond film (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971), United Artists promised him $2m to make two movies of his own choice. The first he picked was This Story of Yours, a grim police procedural based on a play by John Hopkins, one of the writing team on Z-Cars, the realistic BBC TV series that had transformed the image of the British , taking him out of Dock Green and dropping him in a depraved new world. Hopkins’s reputation was running high at the time. His quartet of TV plays, Talking to a Stranger, was widely regarded as the best work written to date for the small screen, and This Story of Yours was put on at the Royal Court under Harold Pinter’s auspices.
By the mid-1960s Sean Connery had completed his contract with Saltzman and Broccoli and feared being typecast as 007. So to lure him back to appear in a sixth Bond film (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971), United Artists promised him $2m to make two movies of his own choice. The first he picked was This Story of Yours, a grim police procedural based on a play by John Hopkins, one of the writing team on Z-Cars, the realistic BBC TV series that had transformed the image of the British , taking him out of Dock Green and dropping him in a depraved new world. Hopkins’s reputation was running high at the time. His quartet of TV plays, Talking to a Stranger, was widely regarded as the best work written to date for the small screen, and This Story of Yours was put on at the Royal Court under Harold Pinter’s auspices.
- 6/14/2015
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
It is no secret that Sean Connery grew to hate James Bond long before he stopped playing the character. In fact, he was so reluctant to return as 007 for Diamonds Are Forever, after George Lazenby walked away from the franchise after just one film, that United Artists offered the Scottish actor an unprecedented fee of Us$1.25 million, and also agreed to produce two subsequent films of Connery's choosing if he'd pick up the Walther Ppk one last time.. The first of these was The Offence, a bleak and brutal British police drama, directed by acclaimed American filmmaker Sidney Lumet. Connery and Lumet had previously collaborated on The Hill (1965) and The Anderson Tapes (1971), and would work together again on Murder on the Orient Express...
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- 5/4/2015
- Screen Anarchy
★★★★☆ When Sean Connery agreed to return to play James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), as a sweetener United Artists offered to finance two pictures of Connery's choosing. One of those pictures was Sidney Lumet's The Offence (1972), a gritty police drama about a detective sergeant (Connery) who beats to death a suspected child molester. A million miles from the globe-trotting super spy, The Offence takes place in an unlovely England, rain swept place as seen a year earlier in Mike Hodges' Get Carter (1971). The climate is reflected in the hard-bitten faces of everyone standing around smoking in the office, with women at home and pints coming in bevelled glasses.
- 4/28/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
The Hollywood Reporter calls Josh Karp's Orson Welles's Last Movie: The Making of The Other Side of the Wind "an early contender for this year's best book about Hollywood"—and Vanity Fair's running a generous excerpt. Meantime, Jonathan Rosenbaum's posted his 2006 review of Simon Callow's biography of Welles. Also in today's roundup: Seven philosophers each pick a film to address an essential question. Zach Lewis on Jean-Luc Godard's Adieu au langage. A talk with Pedro Costa. Clayton Dillard on Preston Sturges's Sullivan's Travels. Steven Boone on Shirley Clarke's The Connection. Yusef Sayed on Sidney Lumet's The Offence. Kim Morgan on Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. And more. » - David Hudson...
- 4/14/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
The Hollywood Reporter calls Josh Karp's Orson Welles's Last Movie: The Making of The Other Side of the Wind "an early contender for this year's best book about Hollywood"—and Vanity Fair's running a generous excerpt. Meantime, Jonathan Rosenbaum's posted his 2006 review of Simon Callow's biography of Welles. Also in today's roundup: Seven philosophers each pick a film to address an essential question. Zach Lewis on Jean-Luc Godard's Adieu au langage. A talk with Pedro Costa. Clayton Dillard on Preston Sturges's Sullivan's Travels. Steven Boone on Shirley Clarke's The Connection. Yusef Sayed on Sidney Lumet's The Offence. Kim Morgan on Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. And more. » - David Hudson...
- 4/14/2015
- Keyframe
In their efforts to woo Sean Connery back to play James Bond one more time in Diamonds Are Forever, United Artists agreed to green-light two projects of the Scotsman's choosing, no questions asked. The first of those was The Offence, a gritty downbeat British cop drama - Connery's third collaboration with Sidney Lumet. The film was such a change of pace for Connery that audiences stayed away in droves. In fact, United Artists were so unhappy with the project that they reneged on their deal and refused to finance a promised second project for Connery.The unfair treatment of The Offence cannot be overstated, and as anyone who has seen the film will attest, it's a tough, impressive piece of work that exploits a whole new...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/29/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Eureka! Entertainment let fly with a volley of announcements earlier today, unveiling their slate for the first quarter of 2015 on both their Masters of Cinema and Eureka! Classics labels.New to Masters of Cinema will be Stanley Donen's Two For The Road, starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney; Fritz Lang's Metropolis gets a 2-disc steelbook re-release that also includes the kitsch classic Giorgio Moroder presents: Metropolis; Claude Lanzmann's epic documentary Shoah arrives alongside 4 Films After Shoah, including Last Of The Unjust; Elia Kazan's Wild River, Sidney Lumet's little-seen cop drama The Offence starring Sean Connery; Raymond Bernard's deeply moving Wwi drama Wooden Crosses; Anthony Mann's Man Of The West with Gary Cooper; and Federico Fellini's Satyricon. On the Eureka! Classics label, Bill Gunn's Ganja And...
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- 11/27/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Following are some supplemental sections featuring notable director & actor teams that did not meet the criteria for the main body of the article. Some will argue that a number of these should have been included in the primary section but keep in mind that film writing on any level, from the casual to the academic, is a game of knowledge and perception filtered through personal taste.
****
Other Notable Director & Actor Teams
This section is devoted to pairings where the duo worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in 1 must-see film.
Terence Young & Sean Connery
Must-See Collaboration: From Russia with Love (1962).
Other Collaborations: Action of the Tiger (1957), Dr. No (1962), Thunderball (1965).
Director Young and actor Connery teamed up to create one of the very best Connery-era James Bond films with From Russia with Love which features a great villainous performance by Robert Shaw...
****
Other Notable Director & Actor Teams
This section is devoted to pairings where the duo worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in 1 must-see film.
Terence Young & Sean Connery
Must-See Collaboration: From Russia with Love (1962).
Other Collaborations: Action of the Tiger (1957), Dr. No (1962), Thunderball (1965).
Director Young and actor Connery teamed up to create one of the very best Connery-era James Bond films with From Russia with Love which features a great villainous performance by Robert Shaw...
- 7/14/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
The art of the glass shot or matte painting is one which originated very much in the early ‘teens’ of the silent era. Pioneer film maker, director, cameraman and visual effects inventor Norman Dawn is generally acknowledged as the father of the painted matte composite, with other visionary film makers such as Ferdinand Pinney Earle, Walter Hall and Walter Percy Day being heralded as making vast contributions to the trick process in the early 1920’s.
Boiled down, the matte process is one whereby a limited film set may be extended to whatever, or wherever the director’s imagination dictates with the employment of a matte artist. In it’s most pure form, the artist would set up a large plate of clear glass in front of the motion picture camera upon which he would carefully paint in new scenery an ornate period ceiling, snow capped mountains, a Gothic castle or even an alien world.
Boiled down, the matte process is one whereby a limited film set may be extended to whatever, or wherever the director’s imagination dictates with the employment of a matte artist. In it’s most pure form, the artist would set up a large plate of clear glass in front of the motion picture camera upon which he would carefully paint in new scenery an ornate period ceiling, snow capped mountains, a Gothic castle or even an alien world.
- 5/27/2012
- Shadowlocked
It has been a year since Sidney Lumet passed away on April 9, 2011. Here is our retrospective on the legendary filmmaker to honor his memory. Originally published April 15, 2011.
Almost a week after the fact, we, like everyone that loves film, are still mourning the passing of the great American master Sidney Lumet, one of the true titans of cinema.
Lumet was never fancy. He never needed to be, as a master of blocking, economic camera movements and framing that empowered the emotion and or exact punctuation of a particular scene. First and foremost, as you’ve likely heard ad nauseum -- but hell, it’s true -- Lumet was a storyteller, and one that preferred his beloved New York to soundstages (though let's not romanticize it too much, he did his fair share of work on studio film sets too as most TV journeyman and early studio filmmakers did).
His directing career stretched well over 50 years,...
Almost a week after the fact, we, like everyone that loves film, are still mourning the passing of the great American master Sidney Lumet, one of the true titans of cinema.
Lumet was never fancy. He never needed to be, as a master of blocking, economic camera movements and framing that empowered the emotion and or exact punctuation of a particular scene. First and foremost, as you’ve likely heard ad nauseum -- but hell, it’s true -- Lumet was a storyteller, and one that preferred his beloved New York to soundstages (though let's not romanticize it too much, he did his fair share of work on studio film sets too as most TV journeyman and early studio filmmakers did).
His directing career stretched well over 50 years,...
- 4/9/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
It is, some say, a Roger Moore Bond movie without Roger Moore in it. That’s because Diamonds Are Forever — which celebrates its 40th anniversary this week — is as camp as Glastonbury in June.
Camp? Yes. Camp. Look at the evidence: it has saucy innuendo galore (“You seem to have caught me with more than my hands up”); a Shirley Bassey-delivered title track with Don Black’s ‘ooh-er’ lyrics; a gaudy Las Vegas setting; gay hit men; a moon buggy chase; plus Ernst Stavro Blofeld holding the world to ransom with an outer-space death ray. You know. That kind of camp.
It might have been different had George Lazenby returned for a second bite at Bond, or if American actor John Gavin (from Psycho) had played 007. In fact, Gavin had already signed a contract but, at the last minute, due to studio jitters, Sean Connery was made an offer...
Camp? Yes. Camp. Look at the evidence: it has saucy innuendo galore (“You seem to have caught me with more than my hands up”); a Shirley Bassey-delivered title track with Don Black’s ‘ooh-er’ lyrics; a gaudy Las Vegas setting; gay hit men; a moon buggy chase; plus Ernst Stavro Blofeld holding the world to ransom with an outer-space death ray. You know. That kind of camp.
It might have been different had George Lazenby returned for a second bite at Bond, or if American actor John Gavin (from Psycho) had played 007. In fact, Gavin had already signed a contract but, at the last minute, due to studio jitters, Sean Connery was made an offer...
- 12/14/2011
- by Tony Greenway
- Obsessed with Film
UK films in the 1950s and 60s led the way in suggesting the boys in blue are less than trustworthy
In these troubled times, when the phone-hacking scandal has heaped ignominy on the police, it is worth pointing out that British cinema has led the way in suggesting the boys in blue are less than trustworthy. In fact, so complete was the turnaround in the two decades between The Blue Lamp, in 1950, and The Offence, from 1972, it almost constitutes a social history in its own right.
Made partly to alleviate a recruitment crisis, and partly to acknowledge a wave of teen delinquency just after the war, The Blue Lamp was the first British film made with the full co-operation of the Metropolitan police. The Met lent the makers their stations, their patrol cars and even their own officers to play small roles. The plot – a neurotic young spiv, played by Dirk Bogarde,...
In these troubled times, when the phone-hacking scandal has heaped ignominy on the police, it is worth pointing out that British cinema has led the way in suggesting the boys in blue are less than trustworthy. In fact, so complete was the turnaround in the two decades between The Blue Lamp, in 1950, and The Offence, from 1972, it almost constitutes a social history in its own right.
Made partly to alleviate a recruitment crisis, and partly to acknowledge a wave of teen delinquency just after the war, The Blue Lamp was the first British film made with the full co-operation of the Metropolitan police. The Met lent the makers their stations, their patrol cars and even their own officers to play small roles. The plot – a neurotic young spiv, played by Dirk Bogarde,...
- 8/11/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
From July 19-25, 2011, Film Society of Lincoln Center will honor Sidney Lumet with a commemorative showing titled “Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet.”
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
- 6/29/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
From July 19-25, 2011, Film Society of Lincoln Center will honor Sidney Lumet with a commemorative showing titled “Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet.”
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
- 6/29/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Lumet with his honorary Oscar. Shockingly, he never won a competitive Academy Award.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Yesterday the family of the late legendary film director Sidney Lumet, in association with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, hosted a tribute to Lumet at Alice Tulley Hall. Cinema Retro contributing writer Doug Gerbino and I arrived at Lincoln Center not knowing exactly what the program would consist of. However, as we are both great admirers of Lumet's work, we could not pass up the invitation to attend. The tribute turned out to be one of the most extraordinary film-related events we had ever witnessed. An extraordinary number of diverse talents contributed their personal memories of working with Lumet through often hilarious anecdotes. Screenwriter Walter Bernstein said Lumet saved his career by hiring him to write TV productions even though he was blacklisted at the time. Christopher Walken recalled how Lumet gently guided...
By Lee Pfeiffer
Yesterday the family of the late legendary film director Sidney Lumet, in association with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, hosted a tribute to Lumet at Alice Tulley Hall. Cinema Retro contributing writer Doug Gerbino and I arrived at Lincoln Center not knowing exactly what the program would consist of. However, as we are both great admirers of Lumet's work, we could not pass up the invitation to attend. The tribute turned out to be one of the most extraordinary film-related events we had ever witnessed. An extraordinary number of diverse talents contributed their personal memories of working with Lumet through often hilarious anecdotes. Screenwriter Walter Bernstein said Lumet saved his career by hiring him to write TV productions even though he was blacklisted at the time. Christopher Walken recalled how Lumet gently guided...
- 6/28/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
With the passing of iconic filmmaker Sidney Lumet came not only an outpouring of love and respect for the late, legendary New Yorker, but a re-visiting of his filmography.
Now, thanks to the Film Society Of Lincoln Center, it’s time for his surrogate hometown’s turn to share in the showing of respect.
The New York-based Film Society will be honoring Lumet with a new retrospective, entitled Prince Of The City: Remembering Sidney Lumet, and will be running from July 19 until July 25. Including a series of guest speakers including the likes of Lauren Bacall, Walter Bernstein, Bobby Cannavale, Glenn Close, Jonathan Demme, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jenny Lumet, David Mamet, Phylilis Newman and Christopher Walken, the retrospective will feature many of his works.
Screening Schedule For Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet:
Screening Venue:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65 Street,...
Now, thanks to the Film Society Of Lincoln Center, it’s time for his surrogate hometown’s turn to share in the showing of respect.
The New York-based Film Society will be honoring Lumet with a new retrospective, entitled Prince Of The City: Remembering Sidney Lumet, and will be running from July 19 until July 25. Including a series of guest speakers including the likes of Lauren Bacall, Walter Bernstein, Bobby Cannavale, Glenn Close, Jonathan Demme, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jenny Lumet, David Mamet, Phylilis Newman and Christopher Walken, the retrospective will feature many of his works.
Screening Schedule For Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet:
Screening Venue:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65 Street,...
- 6/28/2011
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Michael York dashes onto the cinematic scene as the blundering but very enthusiastic D'Artagnan in Richard Lester's hugely enjoyable period comic romp. The late great Roy Kinnear is the long-suffering vassal of aristocratic swordsmen Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain and Frank Finlay, whilst Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway shine as heroine and villainess, respectively. Producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind filmed the following year's sequel back-to-back with this more successful first part, which approach they would revisit shortly for Superman and Superman II. Dumas with wit, energy and integrity.
Notable Quotable: "That man in his time has insulted me, broken my father's sword, had me clubbed to the ground, laid violent hands on the woman I love! He is inconvenient. "
Martin Anderson
Mike Nichols and Buck Henry achieve what seemed impossible, at least on the evidence of an earlier attempt: to transliterate the pitch-dark war humour of Joseph Heller into a cohesive,...
Notable Quotable: "That man in his time has insulted me, broken my father's sword, had me clubbed to the ground, laid violent hands on the woman I love! He is inconvenient. "
Martin Anderson
Mike Nichols and Buck Henry achieve what seemed impossible, at least on the evidence of an earlier attempt: to transliterate the pitch-dark war humour of Joseph Heller into a cohesive,...
- 5/12/2011
- Shadowlocked
Only days ago "The Deadly Affair" arrived at my doorstep, yet another of Sidney Lumet's films I had never seen before since having been born two-thirds of the way into the director's legendary career, it's always been a game of catch-up. Then again, it was that way for most in his field, even if they were contemporaries.
After passing away far too soon at the age of 86, Lumet leaves behind a half-century-long career that will no doubt be scrutinized for being inconsistent, a richly ironic assessment given that in person and on film, he was known as a straight shooter, and perhaps one of the only filmmakers who could say their final film ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") was as vital and strong as their first ("12 Angry Men"). However, that certainly isn't the only reason why Lumet was a rarity.
In a world full of auteurs, Lumet was a collaborator,...
After passing away far too soon at the age of 86, Lumet leaves behind a half-century-long career that will no doubt be scrutinized for being inconsistent, a richly ironic assessment given that in person and on film, he was known as a straight shooter, and perhaps one of the only filmmakers who could say their final film ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") was as vital and strong as their first ("12 Angry Men"). However, that certainly isn't the only reason why Lumet was a rarity.
In a world full of auteurs, Lumet was a collaborator,...
- 4/14/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
From his breakthrough jury room morality movie 12 Angry Men to his Pacino-propelled 1970s thrillers, Sidney Lumet was one of the great Hollywood craftsmen
Director Sidney Lumet dies aged 86
12 Angry Men (1957)
Fresh from his apprenticeship on the New York stage, Lumet made his screen debut with this claustrophobic morality play, casting Henry Fonda as the lone sane man on a jury that is being led by the nose. 12 Angry Men initially sputtered at the box office, a sore thumb in a mid-50s age of gaudy widescreen Technicolor. It was later selected for preservation by the Library of Congress.
The Pawnbroker (1964)
More anguished close-ups, high-stakes drama and high-contrast black and white. Rod Steiger gives an electrifying performance as the tormented Holocaust survivor, rattling around East Harlem and seeing ghosts on every subway car.
The Hill (1964)
Lumet upped sticks to the deserts of Libya for this drama about a brutal
British glasshouse.
Director Sidney Lumet dies aged 86
12 Angry Men (1957)
Fresh from his apprenticeship on the New York stage, Lumet made his screen debut with this claustrophobic morality play, casting Henry Fonda as the lone sane man on a jury that is being led by the nose. 12 Angry Men initially sputtered at the box office, a sore thumb in a mid-50s age of gaudy widescreen Technicolor. It was later selected for preservation by the Library of Congress.
The Pawnbroker (1964)
More anguished close-ups, high-stakes drama and high-contrast black and white. Rod Steiger gives an electrifying performance as the tormented Holocaust survivor, rattling around East Harlem and seeing ghosts on every subway car.
The Hill (1964)
Lumet upped sticks to the deserts of Libya for this drama about a brutal
British glasshouse.
- 4/11/2011
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Prolific film director with a reputation for exploring social and moral issues
Sidney Lumet, who has died aged 86, achieved critical and commercial success with his first film, 12 Angry Men (1957), which established his credentials as a liberal director who was sympathetic to actors, loved words and worked quickly. For the bulk of his career, he averaged a film a year, earning four Oscar nominations along the way for best director, for 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982).
It is arguable that, had he not been so prolific, Lumet's critical reputation would have been greater. Certainly, for every worthwhile film there was a dud, and occasionally a disaster, to match it. But Lumet loved to direct and he was greatly esteemed by the many actors – notably Al Pacino and Sean Connery – with whom he established a lasting rapport.
The majority of his films were shot not in Hollywood, but in and around New York.
Sidney Lumet, who has died aged 86, achieved critical and commercial success with his first film, 12 Angry Men (1957), which established his credentials as a liberal director who was sympathetic to actors, loved words and worked quickly. For the bulk of his career, he averaged a film a year, earning four Oscar nominations along the way for best director, for 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982).
It is arguable that, had he not been so prolific, Lumet's critical reputation would have been greater. Certainly, for every worthwhile film there was a dud, and occasionally a disaster, to match it. But Lumet loved to direct and he was greatly esteemed by the many actors – notably Al Pacino and Sean Connery – with whom he established a lasting rapport.
The majority of his films were shot not in Hollywood, but in and around New York.
- 4/10/2011
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
Few, at this point, would dispute that the 1970s is the single greatest decade in American filmmaking after World War II. If you were to list the landmark movies that were central to the decade’s pop-cultural identity, that list would surely include the following three films: Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Network (1976). Those three classics — made, bang bang bang, more or less right in a row — were all directed by the same man, Sidney Lumet, who died today at 86. Yet Lumet, one of the most exciting American filmmakers who ever lived, occupies, to this moment, a unique and slightly...
- 4/9/2011
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
American film director Sidney Lumet has died at his home in New York aged 86. Lumet directed some iconic works, especially during the 1970s. His films include 12 Angry Men, The Offence, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Fail Safe, The Hill, Murder on the Orient Express and later works including Q&A.
Lumet's step daughter announced his death via statement today. The director was suffering from lymphoma. He made his debut - one helluva debut too - with 12 Angry Men starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. The film took place more or less entirely in one jury room and Lumet provided maximum claustrophobia by enveloping the set - literally - around the characters.
Born in Philadelphia, in 1924, Lumet served in the armed forces during the Second World War before forming his own theatre company. He worked in television throughout the 1950s before launching what would prove to be a masterful career in motion pictures.
Lumet's step daughter announced his death via statement today. The director was suffering from lymphoma. He made his debut - one helluva debut too - with 12 Angry Men starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. The film took place more or less entirely in one jury room and Lumet provided maximum claustrophobia by enveloping the set - literally - around the characters.
Born in Philadelphia, in 1924, Lumet served in the armed forces during the Second World War before forming his own theatre company. He worked in television throughout the 1950s before launching what would prove to be a masterful career in motion pictures.
- 4/9/2011
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Jake Chapman In Conversation, London
You'd think twice about asking an artist who's spent more hours than anyone ought to making mannequins of children with genitals for mouths and modelling Nazi soldiers into a vast tableau of hell to pick his favourite film. But then again, the dependably confrontational Chapman also described the death of Bambi's mother as the most traumatic moment of his childhood, the lightweight. Chapman is the first of a series of artists presenting a formative film in this new intiative, in association with the charity Art Fund. He'll be talking to the Guardian's Adrian Searle about Sidney Lumet's overlooked 1972 The Offence, a bravely gritty study of a copper whose career of violent crime cases wells up when he confronts a suspect paedophile. Bambi it ain't.
Gate Cinema, W11, Thu, visit artfund.org/news
Salisbury International Arts Festival
There's so much going on at the Salisbury Arts Festival,...
You'd think twice about asking an artist who's spent more hours than anyone ought to making mannequins of children with genitals for mouths and modelling Nazi soldiers into a vast tableau of hell to pick his favourite film. But then again, the dependably confrontational Chapman also described the death of Bambi's mother as the most traumatic moment of his childhood, the lightweight. Chapman is the first of a series of artists presenting a formative film in this new intiative, in association with the charity Art Fund. He'll be talking to the Guardian's Adrian Searle about Sidney Lumet's overlooked 1972 The Offence, a bravely gritty study of a copper whose career of violent crime cases wells up when he confronts a suspect paedophile. Bambi it ain't.
Gate Cinema, W11, Thu, visit artfund.org/news
Salisbury International Arts Festival
There's so much going on at the Salisbury Arts Festival,...
- 5/14/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
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