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Reviews
Legong: Dance of the Virgins (1935)
Last Film Made in Two-Strip Technicolor
This film was the last Hollywood film produced and released in two-strip
Technicolor and the last silent film produced in Hollywood.
The film was beautifully filmed in Bali, and has a musical soundtrack
with
titles (no dialogue).
Legong was produced by Bennett Productions, and originally released by
Paramount International (outside the US only) due to concerns about brief
female nudity in the film.
However, later in the 30's the film apparently showed up in various
mutilated versions in so-called "grind houses" in New York City under
various lurid titles.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive restored Legong in 1999, using
prints
from the US, Canada, and the UK. The Archive plans to restore one other
two-strip Techicolor film, Kliou the Killer Whale, also directed by Henri
de
la Falaise and released by Bennett Productions.
Rope (1948)
Disguised Cuts vs. Direct Cuts
When Hitchcock filmed this, 35mm movie camera magazines held 10 minutes of film and so there is a "disguised cut" (like on the back of a man's jacket) every 8 or 10 minutes. However, the reels of film on 35mm movie projectors hold 20 minutes of film. Hitchcock knew that it was useless to try to disguise the changeover from one projector to another when the film was shown in theaters, so every 20 minutes there is a "direct cut"--a change to a completely different camera setup. The most memorable of these "direct cuts" is when Philip (Farley Granger) says "That's a lie!" responding to Brandon's tales of Philip's chicken strangling prowess. The next shot is a medium shot of James Stewart's face responding to that outburst. (There is also one direct cut not related to changing reels--at the very beginning, when the title sequence ends, the camera pans to the exterior of the penthouse window, and then cuts to the inside of the penthouse.)
Legong: Dance of the Virgins (1935)
Last Film Made in Two-Strip Technicolor
This film was the last Hollywood film produced and released in two-strip
Technicolor and the last silent film produced in Hollywood.
The film was beautifully filmed in Bali, and has a musical soundtrack
with
titles (no dialogue).
Legong was produced by Bennett Productions, and originally released by
Paramount International (outside the US only) due to concerns about brief
female nudity in the film.
However, later in the 30's the film apparently showed up in various
mutilated versions in so-called "grind houses" in New York City under
various lurid titles.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive restored Legong in 1999, using
prints
from the US, Canada, and the UK. The Archive plans to restore one other
two-strip Techicolor film, Kliou the Killer Whale, also directed by Henri
de
la Falaise and released by Bennett Productions.
Legong: Dance of the Virgins (1935)
Last Film Made in Two-Strip Technicolor
This film was the last Hollywood film produced and released in two-strip
Technicolor and the last silent film produced in Hollywood.
The film was beautifully filmed in Bali, and has a musical soundtrack
with
titles (no dialogue).
Legong was produced by Bennett Productions, and originally released by
Paramount International (outside the US only) due to concerns about brief
female nudity in the film.
However, later in the 30's the film apparently showed up in various
mutilated versions in so-called "grind houses" in New York City under
various lurid titles.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive restored Legong in 1999, using
prints
from the US, Canada, and the UK. The Archive plans to restore one other
two-strip Techicolor film, Kliou the Killer Whale, also directed by Henri
de
la Falaise and released by Bennett Productions.
Family Fundamentals (2002)
Excellent Documentary of a Sensitive Subject
This documentary depicts three families where gay members are shunned, or made to feel that "reparative therapy" is the only way they will once again be accepted by their families. Arthur Dong, director of "Coming Out Under Fire" and "Licensed to Kill", films both sides of this issue with quiet grace and subtlety.
American Masters: Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For (1999)
Documentary of a Great Singer
This is a great documentary of a great singer, with clips of Ella from concerts, old TV shows, and feature films. The film maintains a balance between biographical details and extended film clips of entire songs sung by Ella herself. Look for it on your local PBS station during Black History Month.