The Film Experience™ was created by Nathaniel R. All material herein is written by our team. (This site is not for profit but for an expression of love for cinema & adjacent artforms.)
Today in showbiz history the famous and sometimes infamous producer Dino de Laurentiis was born in a province of Naples, Italy. We'll take an intermission on our five or six part celebration today but we hope you've enjoyed the write-ups on Bitter Rice (1949) and the Fellini years, the creation of Dinocitta and its famous high-grossing but also-flopping The Bible: In the Beginning (1966), and his early years in America with gritty dramas like Serpico (1973) and Death Wish (1974). We resume tomorrow evening with the much-derided but very successful King Kong (1976) which just so happened to be the film debut of Jessica Lange.
Until then which of these 18 early De Laurentiis' productions have you seen? Do you have a favourite?He produced hundreds of his films in his career, starting at the age of 20, so this is just a small sample of his work in the first 30+ decades of his career...
One great thing to watch right now: PERSEPOLIS. It's vital that we make the stories of immigrants feel specific and real and human to us. pic.twitter.com/92ySv37Emp
On this day in history as it relates to the movies...
Dr Duran Duran and the Orgasmatron
1835 P.T. Barnum and his circus begin their first tour of the US. Wasn't Hugh Jackman supposed to play him in an original movie musical? Is that still on or did the endless Wolverine show derail it? (sigh) 1840 Novelist Thomas Hardy is born. Movies adapted from his work include multiple versions of Jude, Tess, and Far From the Madding Crowd 1904 Johnny Weissmuller is born. We just wrote about Tarzan and His Mate (1934) which you should definitely see 1926 Character actor Milo O'Shea, aka Dr Duran Duran who tried to kill Jane Fonda by excessive pleasure in Barbarella, is born. 1937 Sally Kellerman, the original " 'Hot Lips' O'Houlihan" is born
1944 EGOT composing legend Marvin Hamlisch (of "A Chorus Line") fame is born...or as Cher calls him "Marvin Hamilsmisch". Classic songs include the Oscar winning "The Way We Were" and Oscar nominated gems like "Nobody Does it Better," and "Through the Eyes of Love." Get this: He is the only person other than a director or screenwriter to win more than two Oscars on a single night. At the '73 Oscars he took Song and Original Score for The Way We Were and also Adapted Score (back when they had that) for Best Picture winner The Sting. 1953 The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, aka Helen Mirren's signature role. Did you know that Queen Elizabeth II is now the longest running monarch in British history? 1989Dead Poet's Society opens in theaters. Goes on to 4 Oscar nominations including Best Picture in one of the all time least satisfying Oscar years. I mean that Best Picture lineup is atrocious given that sex lies and videotape, The Little Mermaid, Fabulous Baker Boys and Do the Right Thing (all nominated for something) were right there for the taking.
No, don't take my picture.
1995Bridges of Madison County opens in theaters and audiences start loudly demanding Meryl Streep's third Oscar. The conversation lasts for 16 whole years thereafter. (Demands for #4 have not yet begun but it's only a matter of time.) 2006 Peyton Reed's The Break-Up opens in theaters with Jennifer Aniston & Vince Vaughn
And one year from today... 2017Wonder Woman will open in theaters. Somehow it only took them 75 years to get her on the big screen.
The Stir Laura Linney had a baby despite none of us knowing she was pregnant The Wire Joe Reid plans to see all 58 Oscar nominated movies from 2013 LA Times George Clooney pretends to be pissed about Tina Fey's Golden Globes joke Gawker loves the idea of Detroit getting a bronze Robocop statue. It needs a hero!
Film School Rejects as I predicted Margot Robbie is wracking up the roles in the wake of Wolf of Wall St Interview Magazine Kanye West interviewed by Steve McQueen. Expect quotables
tv /Film what's going on with Nicolas Winding Refn's Barbarella TV series? previouslytv "your crotch is not that interesting" on HBO's Looking Vulture on the new and improved Lady Edith on Downton Abbey Coming Soon Jason Isaacs is joining the Rosemary's Baby tv miniseries as Roman Castavet (good part!) ... and word is that Zoe Saldana may get the famous pixie cut for it
Looking premiered and I missed it. But more when i catch up with it
a chain reaction NY Times has a piece about why it might be better for the cinema if there were less movies each year. It's an interesting article that I mostly agree with though I wholeheartedly wish that Manohla hadn't felt the need to diss Iron Man 3 which is hardly the best example of junk blockbusters out there -- at least it was trying something vaguely new, making a Tony Stark movie rather than an Iron Man movie essentially. But let's not get distracted. Her piece was provocative asking for curation over consumption for programmers and money people. The New Yorker disagrees, arguing that we only get the great discoveries because so many indie films are made. You can't predict which new artists will actually deliver. The Front Row takes this as an opportunity to talk about what the purpose of film criticism is in the internet era and then Mark Harris comments, too ...all of which gives us plenty to think about.
From top to bottom chronologically: Natalie Wood, Jane Fonda as Barbarella, Burt Reynolds as The Cosmopolitan Man, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa, Miss Piggy, La Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Rollergirl of Boogie Nights fame, Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux, and Dame Helen Mirren.
P.S. If you would like to replay this post at maximum volume, might I suggest queueing up the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack whilst doing so?
Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 10:40AM 
