Three Colours Trilogy (Artificial Eye): Krzysztof Kieslowski s landmark trilogy of films is available for the first time in the UK on Blu-ray. The three films Blue, White and Red have rightly been acclaimed as modern classics. Co-written by Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz they explore how the French ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity relate to the modern world. Blue examines the freedom of a recently widowed woman (Juliette Binoche) as she tries to restart her life; White explores a Polish husband (Zbigniew Zamachowski) who takes revenge on his French ex-wife (Julie Delpy); and Red sees a Swiss model (Irène Jacob) befriend a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who eavesdrops on his neighbours. Filmed just as Europe was undergoing greater economic integration after the Cold War, like Kieslowski’s earlier films they carefully channel the human experience with emotional subtlety and astonishing technique. [Buy the Blu-ray boxset or the DVD set from Amazon UK]
A Separation (Artificial Eye): The winner of this year’s Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival is a hugely accomplished drama exploring the tensions of modern Iranian society. Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, it explores what happens to man (Peyman Moadi) when his wife (Leila Hatami) leaves him and he hires a young woman (Sareh Bayat) to take care of his suffering father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi). But things are not what they seem and as the film brilliantly unravels, we learn more about how the different characters handles an increasingly complex web of emotions. [Buy the Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
Cars 2 (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / Normal] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD] (Collector’s Edition) – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD] Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD] Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD] Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD] Horrible Bosses (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Great Raid (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Human Centipede 2 – Full Sequence (Bounty Films) [Blu-ray / Normal] Zookeeper (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
For people in Los Angeles between Dec 9th and Dec 16th, Edgar Wright be screening various films as part of his latest season ‘Movies Edgar Has Never Seen’.
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (E1 Films): The fourth instalment of the Twilight franchise sees Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) conflicted over her love for her vampire lover Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and a werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Directed by Bill Condon, this is probably going to break box office records for a November release with some pundits predicting a huge $150m opening in the US. [Nationwide / 12A]
Justice (Momentum): Thriller about a man (Nicolas Cage) who enlists the services of a vigilante group after his wife (January Jones) is assaulted. Directed by Roger Donaldson, it co-stars Guy Pearce, Harold Perrineau and Xander Berkeley. [Nationwide / 15]
ALSO OUT
Snowtown (Revolver): Based on true events this dark drama is about a teenager who befriends John Bunting, who is soon to become Australia’s most notorious serial killer. Directed by Lucas Pittaway and starring Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris and Sprague Grayden, it premiered to very strong reviews in Cannes despite its grim atmosphere and violence. [Selected cinemas / 15]
Special Forces (Metrodome): French thriller about a special forces team on a mission to rescue a journalist (Diane Kruger) from the clutches of the Taliban. Directed Stéphane Rybojad, it co-stars Djimon Hounsou, Denis Menochet, Benoit Magimel, Raz Degan and Raphael Personnaz. [Selected cinemas / 15]
Magic Trip (Studiocanal): Documentary about Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and the Merry Pranksters that uses the 16 mm color footage shot during their 1964 cross-country bus trip in the “Furthur” bus. Directed by Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney [Selected London cinemas / 15]
Welcome To The Rileys (High Fliers/Blue Dolphin): Drama about a grieving couple (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo) and 16-year-old stripper (Kristen Stewart). Directed by Jake Scott, it is only opening on one screen in London. [Empire Leicester Square only / 15]
Where they talk about makes a great director and get into a discussion about Ryan O’Neil in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon.
Part 2
Where they discuss the lack of female and black directors before Steve McQueen questions why more minorities aren’t cast in movies (this video has generated quite a lot of talk on Twitter, presumably because it hits on an uncomfortable truth)
Part 3
Where they discuss their best and worst experiences as directors, which includes tales of actors not memorising their lines and a crew member being fired.
A powerful exploration of the death penalty sees Werner Herzog probe deep into the horrors of killings in Texas.
There is a moment in Herzog’s latest film where he tells a young man that “I don’t have to like you”.
You soon realise why.
The man he’s speaking to is Michael Perry, who is on death row after being convicted, along with an accomplice, of murdering three people in October 2001.
Viewers might be conditioned to think that a film about the death penalty made by someone who opposes it (as Herzog does) might be an issue film.
But we quickly realise this isn’t an issue film about the death penalty and instead a long hard look at death itself, as seen through the ripple effects of a murder.
In a similar way to Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood it provides an examination of evil in the heartland of America.
Perry was convicted, along with Jason Burkett, of brutally killing three people in Conroe, Texas: a 50 year old nurse, her teenage son and his friend.
Herzog’s conversation with Perry is one of several: he also speaks to Burkett, the families of the prisoners and victims, as well as various people connected with the business of death, including a retired executioner and pastor.
Whilst it doesn’t come to any firm conclusion as to Perry’s guilt – he protests his innocence throughout – it seems likely he was guilty.
But the film is not an exploration of who did what and instead opts to probe around the question of why people kill and condone killing.
Since the resumption the death penalty in 1976 (after four years when it was suspended) Texas has executed nearly four times as many inmates as its closest rival, Virginia.
But Herzog isn’t singling out the Lone Star state – the disturbing details of the murder case are constantly in the air and some of the people not directly connected with the case have an impressive moral dignity.
There is the retired executioner who forgoes his pension because he is tired with legally killing people, whilst a pastor manages to give an unexpectedly profound answer to Herzog’s curve ball question about a squirrel.
As usual the small quirks of human behaviour are picked up on although this is a much more sober film than Herzog’s recent work and at time Mark Degli Antoni’s sparse score gives it an appropriately sombre tone.
Herzog is a past master at eliciting revealing answers by asking deceptively straightforward questions.
One of the most startling dialogues here is with an articulate woman who became attracted to and pregnant by Burkett.
Quite how an inmate gets a woman pregnant from inside prison is an open question, but that is part of the rich tapestry Herzog weaves with this film, managing to touch upon the trend of death row groupies.
We never see him on screen and his regular DP Peter Zeitlinger opts for a restrained visual style, but this is purposely not a fly-on-the-wall film.
In fact it’s quite the opposite, as Herzog’s probing presence and restless curiosity can be felt in every frame as he engages with the people surrounding the killings and the issues such actions raise.
Just a few days after filming in July 2010, Perry himself was killed by lethal injection, which provides the film with a brutal final stop.
It doesn’t come to any definitive conclusions, but therein lies its power – after the film is over the questions raised stay with us, precisely because they have no definitive answers.
The title of this film could describe many of Herzog’s previous movies, as it perfectly describes deep themes and stark feeling of awe embedded in his best work.
It is hard not to come out profoundly shaken as the questions of how and why human beings destroy one another are presented with such piercing clarity that they linger in your mind long after the final credits.
Into the Abyss is out now in the US and opens in the UK on March 23rd
Although it looks like it was officially filmed for future release, Michael Midnight was in the audience and managed to capture edited highlights of the conversation.
The digital revolution in how films are seen and made is currently spelling a slow death for celluloid.
Since the early days of photographic film in the late 19th century, moving pictures have been captured and then projected via some form of celluloid print.
The origin of the name “film” even comes from the process and has been the primary method for recording and displaying motion pictures for over a century.
But with the advent of digital technology over the last decade the days of film-based production and projection are numbered.
This also presents an an interesting paradox: what will we call films once they are no longer shot or projected on film? (Should I rename this very website?)
But whilst we ponder that, it is worth exploring why this is all happening and the differences between the old and new processes.
PROJECTION
From the early days of cinema until very recently light has shone through a piece of celluloid and the resultant moving image was then projected on to a cinema screen.
This video by the Phoenix Cinema in Finchley shows how film projection has traditionally worked:
In the last few years cinemas around the world have been gradually replacing the above method with digital projectors, which essentially replace cans of film with a large hard drive of data which is then projected via a computer system.
This video from the Electric Cinema in Birmingham shows how a local UK cinema is dealing with the transition to digital:
But why is this happening?
Think back to the first four months of 1998 when Titanic was dominating the global box office.
In cinemas around the world 35mm prints of that movie had been delivered in cans and spooled through projectors on to screens.
Although it was a box office phenomenon that played for an unusually long time, James Cameron has since revealed an interesting technical paradox about its success.
“Titanic played so long that our prints fell apart. We actually only left theaters because our prints [had become] unwatchable. We hit the upper boundary of how long prints can run in theaters, and I can tell you how long that is – its 16 weeks. It’s a good problem to have but for the last half of that [theatrical run] they looked pretty ragged, they were all scratched up… so all that stuff is in the past and we’re really in a brave new world right now.”
The rise of digital cinema projection began in 1999 just when digital optical discs were gaining traction in the home market with the DVD format.
The first major film to be digitally projected was Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, although it was only shown on a limited number of screens in New York and Los Angeles.
Over the next decade, digital projection gradually become a reality: 2002 saw the major studios form a joint initiative to agree on technical standards and by 2007 many multiplex and arthouse screens in the UK began upgrading to digital systems.
But for wide acceptance the new system still needed a boost and in the same way that Star Wars in 1977 convinced cinemas to upgrade their sound systems, Avatar would be a game changer for visuals.
When James Cameron was making his sci-fi epic, he felt that 3D films would ride on the back of digital cinema, only to find out that its staggering commercial success actually drove the digital conversion of the remaining cinemas, as 3D movies can only be shown on digital screens.
So in the heady days of early 2010 as Avatar was overtaking Titanic as the all-time box office champ, many executives in Hollywood were convinced 3D was a magic formula, especially as it was quickly followed by the huge commercial successes of Tim Burton’s 3D version of Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3.
You could debate that those films were going to be hits anyway but studios and cinema owners looked at the numbers and felt they would be missing out if they didn’t have digital screens to show 3D movies, even if the quality was poor (as was the case with Clash of the Titans that Easter).
During 2009 there were 650 digital screens in the UK, but just a year later this had nearly trebled to 1400, with 1080 of them 3D enabled. This meant that 80 per cent of all cinema releases in the UK were on digital prints, compared to France where the figure was just 20 per cent.
Another driver has been hugely profitable animated films in 3D, such as the recent Pixar movies (Up, Toy Story 3) and even less acclaimed films like Ice Age 3 and Rio, which have been enormously profitable for studios.
The formula is a seductive one – they aren’t as risky or expensive to make as a big-budget live action film and they have a wide appeal to family audiences who often go more than once and buy their kids related merchandise.
This is why cinemas during school holidays increasingly resemble an animation convention.
But the post-Avatar boom in 3D titles has given way to a dip of sorts, with some questioning just how much it has boosted recent blockbusters, but whether the 3D trend continues or not, digital projection is here to stay.
But how long before film-based projection will effectively end?
It seems the end of 2013 will be a key moment.
Part of what is driving the digital revolution is raw economics and the reduced costs of shipping digital versions of movies to cinemas as opposed to cans of film.
At a movie conference in Australia earlier this year a participant said that major studios have made deals that will effectively end the wide distribution of film prints by 2013.
After that an independent cinema could still rent an old celluloid print, but the rise in costs will make it prohibitive for them, so in a few years this projection method will effectively be over.
At CinemCon earlier this year in Las Vegas, the head of NATO (North American Theater Owners) John Fithian said that almost 16,000 screens out of a total of 39,000 had been converted to digital and confirmed that the end of 2013 was effectively a cut off date.
“For any exhibitor who can hear my voice who hasn’t begun your digital transition, I urge you to get moving. The distribution and exhibition industries achieved history when we agreed to technical standards and a virtual print fee model to enable this transition. But the VPFs won’t last forever. Domestically, you must be installed by the end of 2012 if you want to qualify. Equally significantly, based on our assessment of the roll-out schedule and our conversations with our distribution partners, I believe that film prints could be unavailable as early as the end of 2013. Simply put, if you don’t make the decision to get on the digital train soon, you will be making the decision to get out of the business.”
Is this a sad development or the start of a new and exciting era?
There is a lot of misplaced nostalgia about a print being lovingly threaded through a projector by a dedicated projectionist and that there is something inherently special in 35 mm.
It is true that a good print in a decent cinema looks great, but if you ventured outside of the premium cinemas that critics and filmmakers view films on, there was a different story.
Back in 2007 I saw Ocean’s Thirteen projected digitally at Warner Bros in London and it looked and sounded great – colours popped and the image was stable.
When I saw an analogue equivalent a few weeks later at a multiplex in East London, the image was dim, the print was scratched and the whole experience was less than satisfactory.
During 2009 I saw major releases such as Funny People and Sherlock Holmes on opening night at a suburban multiplex and not only were the celluloid prints degraded but it was also shown in the wrong aspect ratio (i.e. the widescreen image was clipped at the sides).
Part of the reason you don’t often hear about poor projection in the media is that most audiences don’t know any better (and who would they complain to if they did?) whilst journalists writing about films tend to see them at preview screenings at decent cinemas.
Hence you hear a lot about the decline of the projectionist as opposed to how poor the image and sound quality could be for most people who weren’t able to get to a decent cinema.
As with any new technology, there will be teething problems. During a press screening at last month’s London film festival at the Odeon Leicester Square (probably the most high profile cinema in the country) faulty audio issues meant that the film had to be paused (as it was digitally projected, the image held on screen just like a DVD player)
But this isn’t primarily a technical issue, but a human one – if cinemas employed the right people to make the necessary checks then issues like this wouldn’t happen.
Multiplexes should actually continue to employ projectionists to oversee what the audience sees – cutting costs here is damaging to the long term health of the cinema experience.
In an age where it is much cheaper for audiences to rent or download a wide range of high quality films in the home, this is something they should be wary of.
As for the art-house chains in the UK, such as Picturehouse and Curzon, you could argue digital has been a success: not only is there a reduced cost for distributor and cinema but a film like Senna definitely benefited.
Watching Asif Kapadia’s documentary this summer at the HMV Curzon cinema in Wimbledon was an eye-opening experience: not only were the sound and audio excellent, but it was a good example of how digital can benefit lower budget films, as well as the big tent pole releases.
Although distributed by the UK arm of a major studio (Universal) it was a specialist release at selected cinemas which needed careful planning and the reduced costs in digital distribution almost certainly helped it become the highest grossing documentary so far this year.
It is also worth noting that digital has reduced costs for documentary filmmakers, which is perhaps why we are seeing a resurgence this year with films shot in the format from such heavy hitters such as Errol Morris (Tabloid) and Werner Herzog (Into the Abyss), along with directors newer to the genre like Kapadia.
CAPTURE
The death of celluloid as a projection medium is only two years away, but arguably has a longer life as a tool to capture the action we end up seeing on screen.
Arri’s VP for cameras Bill Russell said to Creative Cow recently:
“The demand for film cameras on a global basis has all but disappeared. There are still some markets – not in the U.S. – where film cameras are still sold, but those numbers are far fewer than they used to be. If you talk to the people in camera rentals, the amount of film camera utilization in the overall schedule is probably between 30 to 40 percent. In two or three years, it could be 85 percent digital and 15 percent film. But the date of the complete disappearance of film? No one knows.”
Although there will still be plenty of older camera bodies available for some time to come, it did seem to mark the end of an era: what would the medium of film be without film stock?
That question would seem to lie with Kodak and Fujifilm, the two main suppliers to the film industry.
Ominously for fans of the older process, the large service companies that print and distribute celluloid for the major studios, principally Technicolor and Deluxe, have been hit by the rise of digital and are moving their processes in accordance with the times.
Technicolor recently shut their film labs in Hollywood and Montreal whilst Deluxe ceased processing 35mm and 16mm negatives at two UK facilities.
In preparation for a recent exhibition, artist Tacita Dean was shocked to discover that Deluxe had stopped processing 16mm film stock altogether.
Her latest work is simply called ‘Film’ and is essentially a love letter to the declining medium – a silent 35mm looped film projected onto a monolith standing 13 metres tall inside the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern in London.
In the Creative Cow article, Deluxe executive Gray Ainsworth basically admitted that they were preparing for a digital future:
“From the lab side, obviously film as a distribution medium is changing from the physical print world to file-based delivery and Digital Cinema. The big factories are absolutely in decline. Part of the planning for this has been significant investments and acquisitions to bolster the non-photochemical lab part of our business.”
With Technicolor also making investments in visual effects and 2D-to-3D conversion it seems that that two pillars of the old order are preparing for a future without celluloid.
However, film capture will remain for a few years to come with high profile directors like Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan staying loyal to the traditional photochemical process.
But there is no doubt that over the last decade digital has gradually found favour with filmmakers such as Michael Mann, David Fincher and James Cameron.
This split was best seen in early 2010 at a panel during the Santa Barbara Film Festival in the run up to last year’s Oscars when Quentin Tarantino declared that he would rather burn his LA repertory cinema down rather than show a digital print there [beginning at 5.20].
Whilst the crowd are laughing and applauding at Quentin for his defence of 35mm film prints, fellow panellist James Cameron can be seen shaking his head slightly as if he couldn’t disagree more, given his advocacy for digital capture and projection as the future of cinema.
“People are welcoming that they can finally drive a stake through the heart of film”
From Cameron’s point of view the hurdle has been two-fold: to get filmmakers conditioned to using celluloid to embrace digital cameras and 3D.
Part of the reason is that film-based processes don’t work if you are shooting natively in 3D (as opposed to post-converting) as you need to sync both stereo channels with precision, which can’t really be achieved using conventional film cameras.
Whilst the jury may be out on 3D, it seems that the last 18 months have marked a tipping point for sceptical directors and cinematographers.
Arri were instrumental in shaping the film camera throughout the twentieth century, inventing the world’s first reflex shutter camera in 1937 – the Arri 35 – and then its successor the Arri 35 II, which is amongst the most influential 35mm cameras ever built, with its portable and durable design gracing numerous features and documentaries.
The Arri Alexa could be to the digital era what the 35 II was for the age of celluloid, with world class cinematographers like Roger Deakins and Robert Richardson using it, with Deakins saying in a recent interview with the British Society of Cinematographers:
“I was surprised how quickly I became comfortable shooting with a digital camera”
Richardson shot the new Martin Scorsese film Hugo in 3D using the aforementioned Alexa M camera and films such as Melancholia, Drive and Anonymous were all shot using the camera and the quality of the images appears to have won over many digital sceptics.
“It was interesting because so far I have always shot on 35 mm and I kind of felt lucky that I had escaped digital for so long. I think that the moment I was confronted with digital was the moment we reached a level that is absolutely amazing and incomparable to what has come before”
The pioneering company in the digital realm were RED whose cameras were embraced by Steven Soderbergh, Doug Liman and David Fincher and with the new Hobbit films being shot on them it would appear Peter Jackson has fully signed up to the digital revolution.
Soderbergh has shot all of his recent films on the RED camera (starting with Che in 2008) and talks here about what it means for directors:
Interestingly, the biggest release of next year will buck the digital trend – The Dark Knight Rises will be shot on a combination of IMAX and 35mm film stock, which will provide resolutions higher than any current digital camera can muster.
But even Christopher Nolan has admitted that the bulk of camera research and development over the last decade has gone into digital, so he represents an exception rather than the rule.
However, Nolan and his DP Wally Pfister are stout defenders of film-based cameras for a reason – the image captured on them can look phenomenal if done correctly.
At this year’s Cine Gear Expo 2011 Rob Hummel gave a talk as to why film is still a superior capture format:
Again at the recent London film festival I saw back-to-back press screenings of Like Crazy and Pariah on the NFT screen at the BFI Southbank, which is one of the best cinema screens in the country.
Cinematographer John Bailey spoke earlier this year about why he still shoots on film and the dilemma facing movie archives if we eventually move in to an all digital world:
But what does this march towards digital capture and projection mean for the industry and the average cinema goer?
Whilst some audience members won’t immediately notice the difference, digital projection means greater stability of image and perhaps an opportunity for lower budget films to make a greater mark, as it reduces distribution costs in the long run.
For many filmmakers, it represents the dawn of a new era in which workflows and resolutions will improve as sensors, lenses and on-set data systems (such as those used on Hugo) allow greater flexibility once they have adapted to the possibilities afforded to them by newer and ever improving technology.
For celluloid though the end has already begun, as the photochemical process which sustained cinema for over a century slowly fades into an oncoming digital reality.
Touch of Evil (Eureka): Orson Welles’ classic 1958 film noir is about a Mexican narcotics cop (Charlton Heston) who investigates the death by car bomb of a wealthy American businessman on the US side of the border (one of the great opening scenes in film history). Co-starring Janet Leigh, Welles himself and Marlene Dietrich, Universal screwed up the original release (why remains a mystery) but have redeemed themselves by providing masters for this Blu-ray release. This includes five variants of the film, in different aspect ratios: the 1958 theatrical version in both 1.37:1 and 1.85:1, the 1958 preview version in 1.85:1, and the 1998 reconstructed version in 1.37:1 and 1.85:1. [Buy it on Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
Silent Running (Eureka): Douglass Trumbull’s 1972 sci-fi set in a distant future, where all of Earth’s remaining plant life is preserved in vast greenhouse-like domes orbiting in space. When the man in charge (Bruce Dern) refuses to obey orders and destroy them, he begins a voyage into the unknown accompanied only by the ships robotic drones. Featuring an excellent lead performance from Dern and clever visual effects, this remains a rare glimpse of sci-fi in the pre-CGI era. The HD transfer looks great and there are some notable extras. [Click here for our full review] [Buy it on Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
Beginners (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Blue in the Face (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Cop Land (Miramax) [Blu-ray] Farscape: The Complete Seasons 1-4 (Go Entertain) [Blu-ray / Box Set] IMAX: Dinosaurs Collection (BPDP) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition] IMAX: Wonders of the World Collection (BPDP) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition] Kung Fu Panda 2 (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Larry Crowne (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal] Marley and Me 2 – The Puppy Years (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] Outrage (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal] Quadrophenia (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Coen BrothersBlu-ray Collection (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Box Set] The Firm (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Toy Story (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition] Toy Story 2 (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition] Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition]
I’d read the book when it came out but now Figgis has uploaded videos of the original interviews to his Vimeo channel, which were first shown on Film Four in 1999 (before it became Film4).
Most were conducted in his office on the Sony Pictures lot and featured candid and often fascinating conversations about the film industry with some key players.
Part of what’s intriguing about them is to consider how much things have (or have not) changed since then.
Click on the following links to view them on Vimeo:
Arthur Christmas (Sony Pictures): Animated film from Aardman Features and Sony Pictures Imageworks which imagines what the inside of Santa’s workshop looks like and explores how Santa delivers all his presents in one night. Directed by Sarah Smith and Barry Cook, it features the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen. [Nationwide / U]
Immortals (Universal Pictures): A mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece where the young warrior prince Theseus (Henry Cavill) leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians. Directed by Tarsem Singh, it co-stars Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, Joseph Morgan and Freida Pinto. [Nationwide / 15]
The Rum Diary (Entertainment Films): Adapted from the Hunter S. Thompson book about a freelance journalist (Johnny Depp) who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life. While writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean, he finds himself challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction. Directed by Bruce Robinson, it stars co-stars Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart and Giovanni Ribisi. [UK wide / 15]
Trespass (Lionsgate UK): Thriller about a couple (Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman) who are held for ransom in their own home by a gang of extortionists. Directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Ben Mendelsohn and Cam Gigandet. [Nationwide / 15]
The Awakening (Studiocanal): Ghost story set during 1921 in England, just after the loss and grief of World War I. Hoax exposer Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost. Everything she knew in unravels as the ‘missing’ begin to show themselves. Directed by Nick Murphy, it stars Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, and Imelda Staunton [Nationwide / 15]
ALSO OUT
Tabloid (Dogwoof): Documentary about a bizarre scandal in 1977 involving a former beauty queen and a Mormon missionary. Directed by Errol Morris, it has already played to acclaim on the festival circuit and is finally opening in the country where much of the story took place. [Key Cities / 15] [Read our full review here]
Wuthering Heights (Artificial Eye): Adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel about a poor young boy (James Howson) who is taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister (Kaya Scodelario ). Directed by Andrea Arnold, it co-stars Steve Evets, Nichola Burley, Solomon Glave and Shannon Beer. [Nationwide / 15]
Black Pond (15): Black comedy about a family recounting the tale of how they came to be accused of murder when a stranger died at their dinner table. Directed by Will Sharpe and Tom Kingsley, it stars Chris Langham and Simon Amstell. [Key Cities / 15]
The British Guide To Showing Off (Verve Pictures): Documetary about British artist and ‘living legend’ Andrew Logan. Directed by Jes Benstock, it features Ruby Wax, Zandra Rhodes and Brian Eno. [Selected cinemas / 15]
He has been in London this week promoting Tabloid, his new film about a bizarre scandal involving a beauty queen and a mormon, and the event was live streamed over the web on BAFTA Guru.
Interestingly, the film hit the headlines this week when Joyce McKinney (the main subject) announced she was suing Morris for her portrayal in the film, which has echoes of Randall Adams suing Morris, despite the fact that (or maybe because?) his 1988 film The Thin Blue Line got him off death row.
Douglas Trumbull’s moving sci-fi drama gets a welcome re-release on Blu-ray from Eureka’s Masters of Cinema label.
After the unexpected commercial success of Easy Rider (1969) and the slow demise of the old studio system, Universal decided to green light some lower budget features by up and coming directors.
Silent Running is set in a future where all plant life on Earth is extinct and the remaining specimens are preserved in giant spaceships outside the orbit of Saturn.
When the man entrusted with looking after them (Bruce Dern) receives orders to jettison the floating greenhouses and return to Earth, he begins to have second thoughts about his mission and fellow crew members.
At its core this is a film about man’s relation to nature, as seen from the isolation of space, but it goes further than that by posing interesting moral questions about how far we should go to protect an ideal as well as the conflict of an individual against the society he is from.
But down the years this film has endured as something much more substantial than just a hippy space opera with cute robots.
Part of it’s unique charm and power comes from Bruce Dern in the lead role, with a brave performance filled with anguish and humanity.
He conveys a genuine love for the natural plants and animals on board the ship, combined with an empathy for technology, especially his servant drones, which he nicknames Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
These were actually played by four double-amputees, inside custom-built suits, and they remain some of the most enduring characters in the sci-fi movie genre, influencing Star Wars (1977), WALL-E (2008) and Moon (2009).
Trumbull also achieved a lot on a limited budget with clever use of front-projection and model work to depict the ships in space – despite the enormous advances in visual effects since it was made, Silent Running still holds up as a textbook example of high creativity on a low budget.
Modern audiences used to the intricate, computer generated world of Avatar might like to note that it shares a similar environmental theme, which suggest that Trumbull’s messages and themes are enduring ones.
Although the use of Joan Baez songs might seem to date the movie, it is a reminder of the despair and hope of the early 1970s, which isn’t so different as we begin a new decade of social and environmental uncertainty.
In retrospect, the screenwriters were the unlikely trio of Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino and Steven Bochco. Washburn and Cimino went on to co-write The Deer Hunter (1978), whilst Bochco went on to create Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue.
The new Blu-ray from Masters of Cinema looks terrific, with an impressive digital restoration by Deluxe 142 in London creating a sharp but not overly pristine image with light traces of grain.
The uncompressed DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel stereo track comes with the option of listening to the music and effects separately.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Full-length commentary by director Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern: This commentary track recorded in 2000 for the DVD is pretty special. It not only reunites actor and director- both very interesting figures in their own right – but provides some fascinating insights into the production.
The Making of Silent Running (49:17): This on-set documentary by Charles Barbee provides yet more information on how they made the film. It is also an interesting snapshot of how these kind of making of features helped promoted the film in an era before the mass marketing blitz of today. Showing the inventive ways in which Trumbull stretched the budget – shooting on a decomissioned aircraft carrier and using amputees to play the robots – it is a reminder of how resourceful the production was.
Two video pieces with Douglas Trumbull (30:08 + 4:51): These interviews with Trumbull go into his career in some depth, including his pioneering work in visual effects and how this film came about. Interestingly, since the 1980s Trumbull has pushed for a newer cinema process called Showscan (films projected at higher frame rates of 60 frames per second) which now may become a reality with both James Cameron and Peter Jackson pushing for higher frame rates.
A Conversation with Bruce Dern (10:56): Dern clearly has a lot of affection both for Trumbull and the film – it offered him a juicy lead role in contrast to all the oddball supporting parts he was offered down the years. Here he expounds on the experience of working with one of two genius directors (the other was Hitchcock).
Original theatrical trailer (2:57)
A lavish 48-page full-colour booklet: Featuring rare photographs and artwork from Trumbull’s personal collection, and recollections of the film’s cinematographer and composer.
Isolated music and effects track
Silent Running is out on Monday 14th November from Eureka/Masters of Cinema
This short film by Andrew Clancy eloquently documents a year in New York.
Sometimes it is difficult to precisely say why a combination of images and music works, but I think this effectively captures a time and place.
Amongst the familiar imagery of the Big Apple (the Empire State building, Times Square, Central Park) are more surprising shots: Uruguay fans watching the World Cup and a Bond film showing outside in the park.
A western set in America, with exteriors shot in Spain and interiors in Italy, it remains a fascinating reinterpretation of an archetypal Hollywood genre.
What’s particularly cool is that Attia uses Photoshop to fade in images from the movie with startling precision on locations that have stayed (relatively) similar, despite the 45 years that have passed since it was shot.
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel didn’t scale the heights of his best work, but provided an interesting showcase for actors who would go on to stardom in the ensuing decade.
What happened to Coppola after his dizzying creative heights of the 1970s?
After making some of the greatest films in the history of American cinema with The Godfather I & II, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, his work in the 1980s represents a mixed bag to say the least.
One from the Heart (1982) was a creative and financial disaster, but his following project had an unusual genesis, where a group of Fresno school children wrote to him requesting that he adapt their favourite novel.
That was Hinton’s coming-of-age story which she wrote as a teenager in the late 1960s about a group of friends in Tulsa, Oklahoma known as ‘Greasers‘ and their battles with the richer Socs (pronounced “soashes” – short for ‘social’).
The story focuses on the lives of Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell), his two brothers (Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze), as well as friends Cade (Ralph Macchio), Dally Winston (Matt Dillon), Two-Bit Matthews (Emilio Estevez), Steve Randle (Tom Cruise) and an out of reach girl (Diane Lane).
Looking back it was an extraordinary cast, filled with actors who would go on to bigger things, although the focus is largely on Howell, Macchio and Dillon and future stars like Cruise and Swayze remain tucked away in supporting roles.
Shot on location in Oklahoma, the period is impressively evoked by Coppola and his production designer Dean Tavalouris and the performances are all believable, effectively bringing Hinton’s world to life.
The widescreen visuals by cinematographer by Stephen H. Burum are not up to the iconic work of Gordon Willis on The Godfather or Vittorio Storaro’s work on Apocalypse Now, but they are often elegantly framed and look as good as they’ve ever done on this Blu-ray release.
However, there’s something about the film that lacks the magic ingredient to make it truly special and three years later Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me (1986) would capture a similar period with much more weight and charm.
It seems Coppola never fully recovered from the arduous production of Apocalypse Now and the personal hell of that period perhaps meant he wasn’t prepared to go to the creative extremes that he had previously.
That said, this Blu-ray is interesting as it features the special DVD cut which came out in 2005 after the director decided to reinsert scenes which were omitted for commercial reasons first time around.
Part of Coppola’s deal after the huge success of The Godfather was ownership (or part-ownership) of his work and one of the benefits is that his company Zoetrope keeps the negatives in decent condition.
The 1080p restoration presented in its proper aspect ratio of 2:35 is excellent and makes the period come alive in a way that earlier formats didn’t allow, with the colours and tones looking resplendent.
A new 5.1 DTS HD Master audio track is also solid, boosting the dialogue and early 1960’s soundtrack.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Director’s cut Version with 22 minutes of new footage: Given that this has never been shown that much on UK TV in recent years, perhaps some viewers here won’t remember the original cut. If you listen to the cast commentary they sometime express surprise at a scene or musical cue that wasn’t in the original. Given that the film was inspired by fans writing a letter to Coppola and that distributor Warner Bros. persuaded him to make it shorter, it is appropriate that he should put back those missing scenes for this version.
Introduction and New audio Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola: As with Coppola is an engaging presence on the commentary track describing his aims with the film and sharing production stories. Listen out for his paternal pride when his daughter Sofia makes a cameo.
Audio commentary by Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Patrick Swayze: One of the nice things that Coppola does when he revisits a film for the DVD or Blu-ray versions is to do some ‘reunion’ interviews with cast members. In 2005 he assembled C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio and Patrick Swayze for dinner and afterwards they sat down to watch the film and their commentary was recorded. Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe’s commentary was dubbed in later, although the transitions are pretty seamless, and it is a little like a high school reunion with the good vibes coming across nicely.
Staying Gold – A Look Back at The Outsiders: A nice retrospective documentary with interviews from cast and crew. Coppola’s use of the then new technology of video to record rehearsals makes for some interesting footage of the young cast.
S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa: The author takes around the locations which inspired the novel and became places where they later filmed sequences for the movie.
The Casting of The Outsiders: Producer Fred Roos became famous earlier in his career for casting Petulia (1968) and his eye for emerging actors came in especially handy with The Outsiders. It became famous as a showcase of actors who would go on to have significant careers.
7 cast members read extracts from the novel: Another nice touch as Lowe, Swayze, Howell, Dillon, Macchio, Garrett and Lane read extracts from the novel like it was a radio play (it was recorded in 2005).
NBC’s News Today from 1983 The Outsiders: A news report from around the release of the film highlighting the story of the school children who wrote to Coppola requesting that it become a film.
Started by School Petition: A short feature on the origins of the project.
Six deleted or extended scenes
Trailer from 1983
The Outsiders is out now on Blu-ray from Studiocanal
An interview with Alfred Hitchcock around the time of Frenzy (1972) provides a useful overview of his career.
What makes this programme particularly interesting is that the first part of the interview is conducted by Pia Lindström, the daughter of Ingrid Bergman.
Note that when she asks about Spellbound (1945) and Notorious (1946), she’s asking about films which starred her mother, which gives her questions an interesting subtext.
Immigrant Song was the opening track on Led Zeppelin III, which was released in 1970 so it is entirely feasible that Lalo Schifrin was listening to it when Dirty Harry was in production during 1971 before being released in December of that year.
Notice how the theme which accompanies any scene involving the villian Scorpio (Andy Robinson) features a similar riff to Jimmy Page’s guitar, which influenced Carpenter’s main theme for Assault on Precinct 13.
Produced by WGBH Television, it was written and directed by Nancy Linde and was also shown in the UK on the BBC.
You can watch all the episodes below, courtesy of Waxy.
Episode 1: Great Brains
Explores the earliest forms of computing, from Charles Babbage in the 1800s to the first working computers of the 1940s.
The second part picks up the story of ENIAC and the first commercial computer company, culminates with the moon landing in 1969 and the rise of Silicon Valley.
Explores the rise of the modern personal computer, the development of the graphical user interface, the Apple II and Macintosh, along with some early 90s predictions of the future.
The history of artificial intelligence and the possibility of teaching computers to think and learn like human beings.
Episode 5: The World at Your Fingertips
The final episode explores the rise of information networks including the Internet and the world wide web.
Taking Off (Park Circus): Available for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, this was director Milos Forman’s first US feature. A comedy-drama made in 1971, it stars Lynn Carlin and Buck Henry as middle-class New Yorkers suburbanites, who try to figure out where their teenage daughter has run away to. [Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
The Dead Zone (Scanbox Entertainment): David Cronenberg’s 1983 adaptation of Stephen Kings novel saw two masters of horror come together for a creepy and highly effective drama. When a high school teacher (Christopher Walken) wakes from a five year coma with the ability to see into the future. When he comes across a presidential candidate (Martin Sheen) he becomes disturbed at what he sees. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]
The Last Temptation of Christ (Universal): Martin Scorsese’s 1988 retelling of the Crucifixion story was hugely controversial with Christians on its release, mainly down to one scene that departs from ‘accepted truth’ of the Gospels. One of the director’s most personal and interesting works, it stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]
Band of Brothers & The Pacific (Warner Bros/HBO): Both of these mini-series depicting World War II were the brainchild of producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. Band of Brothers (2001) was the story of Easy Company and depicted their parachuting into France early on D-Day right through to their capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. The Pacific (2010) explored three U.S. Marines across the other side of the world from their first battle on Guadalcanal in 1942, through Iwo Jima and their return home after V-J Day in 1945. Impeccably realised, both series won Emmys and rank amongst the most ambitious television HBO has produced. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
The Films of Michael Haneke (Artificial Eye): A deluxe 10 disc box set features ten of Haneke s masterpieces – now including the Palme d Or-winning The White Ribbon – and follows the sell-out success of 2009 s Essential Michael Haneke collection. 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance Benny s Video The Castle Code Unknown Funny Games Hidden The Piano Teacher The Seventh Continent Time of the Wolf The White Ribbon. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]
Four Days Inside Guantanamo (Dogwoof): A documentary based on security camera footage from inside the notorious US prison on Guantánamo Bay. It explores an encounter between a team of Canadian intelligence agents and a child detainee that previously never been seen. Based on video footage recently declassified by the Canadian courts, it delves into the murky political, legal and scientific aspects of the prison. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
Beautiful Lies (Trinity) [Blu-ray / Normal] Flying Monsters (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition with 2D Edition] It’s a Wonderful Life (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / 65th Anniversary Edition] Scrooge (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Strictly Ballroom (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Lion King (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / with DVD – Double Play] Wonders of the Solar System/Wonders of the Universe (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Special Edition]
Martin Scorsese spoke about 3D earlier today after a screening of his latest film in Los Angeles.
Hugo is based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, and is the story of a young orphan (Asa Butterfield) living inside a Paris train station in the late 1920s.
After a sneak preview at the New York Film Festival (where an unfinished version screened) it played today in front of various press and (presumably) Academy voters.
Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere shot some video of the post-screening Q&A, which was moderated by none other than Paul Thomas Anderson and also featured DP Robert Richardson, production designer Dante Ferretti, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, visual effects supervisor Robert Legato and composer Howard Shore.
In the first video Scorsese talks about why he chose the material:
Aside from being Scorsese’s first film in 3D, it was a pioneering production that employed the latest in digital camera technology.
It was shot on a new 3D camera rig developed by Vince Pace, which combines two digital Arri Alexa cameras.
Here Scorsese talks about 3D in the context of cinema history, comparing it to the advent of colour:
The film was pioneering in other ways as it was the first major production to shoot with Cooke 5/iPrime Lenses and to employ Pace’s new data system, which allows the filmmakers on set to extract and manipulate digital camera information on set (rather than in post-production).
Gregor Tavenner, the first Camera Assistant on the film, talked about this in an interview last year with Film and Digital Times:
The Pace system has the ability to record all the metadata for every frame of every shot. Which it does. It links I/O data convergence, readouts, what’s where, and stores it.
The Alexas don’t have LDS or /i data contacts built into their PL mount yet. Maybe in the next model, later this year. But right now it’s a big plus to be able to plug the /i connector into the 5/i lens and extract all the data, and display it. The Transvideo monitors plug right into /i connectors—so I get a full readout of all the lens data on screen. It’s beautiful.
Post. It’s a new world. There is no post house. We’re doing it. Pace is doing it. It’s incredible. We built our own screening room, our own file room, we have coloring, our own grader on staff, so Bob can go in every day and grade his footage. And Marty can do stereo corrections right there. He can see finished product. And I tell you, it’s really beautiful. It makes a lot of sense.
Some other video was shot at the screening where Thelma Schoonmaker talked about editing and mixing in 3D:
And here is Richardson and Scorsese talking about shooting the film on the Alexa and how they played with colours on set:
Hugo is out in the US on November 23rd and in the UK on Friday 2nd December
Filmed during his time at NeXT, he talks about his early experiences with computers at NASA, network computing, the desktop publishing revolution of the 1980s and his vision for the future (which, as we now know, was prescient).
Although regarded as a costly failure at the time, in hindsight NeXT was essentially research and development for Jobs’ second stint at Apple.
A stunning directorial debut from actor Paddy Considine features some of the best acting you’ll see all year.
It explores what happens when an angry widower (Peter Mullan) stikes up a relationship with a Christian charity worker (Olivia Colman), who is married to a stern husband (Eddie Marsan).
Expanded from Considine’s 2007 short Dog Altogether, on the surface this may seem like another British exercise in urban misery.
But this is a film that manages to rise above expectations and is one of the most impressive dramas in recent years.
A brutal opening scene sets the mood that this isn’t going to be a barrel of laughs, but it blends its darker elements with an impressive sense of place and time.
Shot on location in Leeds with a piercing but humane eye for the murkier details of urban Britain, it presents a riveting tale of violence and redemption.
Part of its raw power is down to the astonishing performances, which rank amongst the best you’ll see this year.
Mullan has his best part since My Name is Joe (1998), channeling the rage and regret of his character with an honest conviction that is extraordinary to watch.
Olivia Colman makes for a compelling foil, managing to create that rarest of things on screen – a genuinely good, selfless person.
It is an astonishing performance filled emotion and nuance that ranks amongst the best given by any actress in years.
The chemistry between them is something to behold and the development of their relationship is as convincing as it is surprising.
Marsan has less screen time but still manages to create a completely chilling character, made scarier because he is as plausible as he is malevolent.
Like The Interrupters – another outstanding film out this year – it presents violence as a disease that spreads and infects people from all walks of life.
Touching upon issues of class, it is a distressing film to watch in places but an intenseley rewarding one, building up to a climax which is richly earned.
Considine previously starred in Jim Sheridan’s In America (2002) and had supporting roles in Cinderella Man (2005) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), but this is an extraordinarily assured directorial debut.
Not only are the dynamics between the characters handled with compassion and subtlety, but he doesn’t shy away from the harshness of the violence, which is never gratuitous but deeply affecting.
The understated score by Chris Baldwin and Dan Baker, featuring heavy use of acoustic guitars, provides an effective contrast to the bouts of violence which occasionaly erupt.
Cinematographer Erik Alexander Wilson presents the action with deceptively simple lighting which feels wholly appropriate for the subject matter.
In between the darker scenes, there is an uplifting humanity to the film which is down to a combination of sharp writing and the emotion the actors bring to their roles.
In some ways it marks a progression from the tougher films of Shane Meadows, with humour and observation mixed in with the harsher realities of daily existence.
There are numerous little details which are expertly done, ranging from Mullan’s relationships with his neighbours and ill friend and a moving speech which explains the film’s title.
Although it is about violence, the film doesn’t present it irresponsibly and instead draws a believable picture of where it can come from.
A remarkable and deeply affecting portrait of people struggling to cope with their demons, it promises a great deal for Considine’s future career behind the camera.
BAFTA recently launched a section on their website dedicated to video interviews with notable people from the worlds of film, TV and gaming.
Aside from having one of the greatest screening rooms in London, BAFTA regularly hosts events involving noted directors, actors and even legendary game designers.
You can check out lengthy interviews with such luminaries as:
Some of this video has been tucked away on their website, which is perhaps why they have grouped them under a new section called BAFTA Guru.
They’ll even be live streaming the Annual David Lean Lecture this Sunday (6th November) at 8pm (GMT), which this year will be given Errol Morris, whose new film Tabloid is released here next week.
Francis Ford Coppola’s masterful thriller forms an important part of his incredible run of films during the 1970s.
Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is recruited to track and record a young couple (Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest) in San Francisco’s crowded Union Square.
A loner by nature, he gradually begins to suspect the motives behind the man who hired him to do the job (Robert Duvall) and becomes obsessed with a piece of audio that may (or may not) hold the key to his concerns.
Beginning with a stunning opening sequence that is a master class in cinematography, sound and editing, this is a slow-burn film about paranoia and technology, whose relevance has only increased over time.
Back in the mid-1970s it seemed eerily prescient as the Watergate scandal unfolded around the time of release and it has a new topicality now in an era where much of modern life is recorded and put online.
Coppola’s other films in the 1970s were amongst the greatest of the New Hollywood era: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979) are not just masterpieces of the time but also landmark films in American cinema.
The Conversation opened in April of 1974 and although it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, in retrospect it has always been overshadowed by the success of The Godfather sequel, which opened around Christmas of that year.
At the 47th Academy Awards, both films competed against each other, with his gangster epic becoming the first sequel ever to win Best Picture.
An extraordinary feat, the only downside was that The Conversation has slightly suffered in retrospect, which is a shame as it reveals as much about power as the Godfather films did.
Gene Hackman gives one of his greatest performances as a haunted man who knows only too well that the technology he employs to snoop on people can be used against him.
Methodical yet dignified, he creates a compelling protagonist in a role which in other films would be the part of the token technical geek, but here becomes something else.
Coppola and Hackman combined to show that it is often the technical people who wield the real power and responsibility in society, and the unbearable tension this can create inside of them.
Other roles are expertly cast: look out for a young Harrison Ford as the sinister assistant to Robert Duvall; Jon Cazale as Hackman’s assistant and Teri Garr as the distant girlfriend.
But the real stars of the film are behind the camera and repeat viewings reveal the masterful technical work by Coppola, DP Bill Butler and editor/sound designer Walter Murch.
Coppola was heavily influenced by Antonioni’s Blow-up (1966) and wanted to do for sound recording what that film had done for photography.
Featuring one of the most intricate and accomplished sound designs of the 1970s, Murch really cemented his reputation with some stunning work on this film as supervising editor and sound designer.
Not only are the sounds we hear crucial to the plot, but the overall construction creates a sense of uncertainty which effectively lends us the ears of the central character.
Coppola made sound an integral part of the narrative and in some ways laid the ground for the innovations on Apocalypse Now, which was effectively the first film to have a 5.1 surround mix.
On the Bu-ray, the uncompressed audio is a joy to behold and gives it the carefully crafted sound mix the attention it deserves.
In fact this disc offers the film’s original mono track in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, but also a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, which has been crafted with considerable care and attention (this is probably down to the fact that Coppola still co-owns distribution rights to the film).
David Shire’s restrained but haunting score also adds to the melancholy mood and sounds wonderful in the new mixed audio.
The visuals are another story. Originally Coppola hired Haskell Wexler after his pioneering work on Medium Cool (1968) but they soon fell out after completing the opening sequence.
San Francisco provided a memorable backdrop for Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) and Coppola seems to play on that film’s themes of obsession and cruelty.
He also draws on some of the subjects explored in The Godfather films, such as Catholicism, crime and power, despite the different period and context.
The transfer here may appear grainy at times but as Coppola explains in the commentary track, he wanted to use different film stocks and zoom lenses in order to give the film a verite vibe and the feel of a surveillance video, which explains the odd camera movements at certain moments.
Other than that, it looks great with the colours, clarity and contrast looking great and as good as it ever has in the home.
At the time there was a lot of press speculation that the bugging technology used in the film was similar to that used in the Watergate break-in, even though Coppola admitted that this was coincidental.
So despite the period setting, the core themes give it a lasting relevance and there’s much that happens that makes it ideal for home viewing, with many elements not immediately apparent on a first watch.
Keep your eyes and ears open for the use of colour, musical motifs, carefully written dialogue and the surprising sympathy we feel for the central character.
We come to connect with a professional eavesdropper who becomes vicariously involved people he’s never met.
Isn’t that a brilliant metaphor for watching a movie?
EXTRAS
Feature Commentary with Writer-Director Francis Ford Coppola: An outstanding audio commentary, filled with useful detail, in which Coppola provides the context for the film and his specific influences and aims. He covers an impressive range of subjects including casting, filming and editing with his usual insight and intelligence.
Feature Commentary with Editor Walter Murch: Coppola’s creative partner in so many of his key movies deserves his own track as the film is so dependent on editing and sound. An essential listen for those curious about the craft of constructing the audio landscape of a film he
Close-Up on The Conversation (8:39): An archive promotional featurette showing Coppola and Hackman on set.
Cindy Williams Screen Test (5:02): This shows the actress reading for the part that actually went to Teri Garr.
Harrison Ford Screen Test (6:45): Ford’s audition for the part that Frederic Forrest ended up playing makes for an interesting ‘what if’ clip.
“No Cigar” (2:26): A short 1956 student film by Coppola, which the director feels was an early influence on the character of Harry Caul.
Harry Caul’s San Francisco – Then And Now (3:43): A slideshow look at several locations from the film as they were in 1973 and as they appear now.
David Shire Interviewed by Francis Ford Coppola (10:57): Shire talks about scoring the film and how important music was to setting the film’s melancholy mood.
Archival Gene Hackman Interview (4:04): An interview with Hackman on the set of the film.
Script Dictations from Francis Ford Coppola (49:23) Great audio feature where Coppola dictates the screenplay, playing along to typed versions of the pages and clips from the film.
In Time (20th Century Fox): Dystopian sci-fi thriller set in the not-too-distant future where the aging gene has been switched off and time has become the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. Directed by Andrew Niccol, it stars Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake, Cilian Murphy and Olivia Wilde. [Nationwide / 12A]
Tower Heist (Universal): Comedy about a group of hard working guys who find out they’ve fallen victim to a wealthy business man’s Ponzi scheme and the conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Directed by Bret Ratner, it stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick. [Nationwide / 12A]
Straw Dogs (Sony Pictures): Remake of the 1971 Sam Pekinpah film relocated to the US South where an L.A. screenwriter (James Marsden) relocates with his wife (Kate Bosworth) and tensions build between them and the locals. Directed by Rod Lurie, it -co-stars lexander Skarsgard and James Woods. [Nationwide / 18]
Machine Gun Preacher (Lionsgate UK): The story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been forced to become soldiers. Directed by Marc Forster, it co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon.
ALSO OUT
The Future (Picturehouse Entertainment): The latest film from Miranda July is about a couple who adopt a stray cat which changes their perspective on life. It stars July, Hamish Linklater and David Warshofsky. [Selected cinemas / 12A]
Jack Goes Boating (Trinity Filmed Entertainment): The tale of a shy limo driver (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who goes on a blind date with a friend of a friend (Amy Ryan), based on the 2007 play by Robert Glaudini. Directed by Hoffman, it co-stars John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Thomas McCarthy. [Selected cinemas / 15]
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (20th Century Fox): A story set in 19th century China about the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women. Directed by Wayne Wang, it stars Ami Canaan Mann and Gianna Jun.
Weekend (Pecadillo Pictures): This romantic drama about two guys who fall for each other over a weekend has already garnered positive reviews on the festival circuit. Directed by Andrew Haigh, it stars Tom Cullen, Chris New and Laura Freeman. [Selected cinemas / 18]
The Human Centipede 2 (Bounty Films): Horror sequel which caused a brief kerfuffle with the BBFC, which may or may not have been part of an elaborate marketing campaign. Directed by Tom Six, it stars Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie and Maddi Black.
Junkhearts (Soda Pictures): British drama about a returning soldier from Iraq (Eddie Marsan), a homeless teenager (Candese Reid) and a businesswoman (Romola Garai). Directed by Tinge Krishnan, it co-stars Tom Sturridge. [Selected cinemas / 15]
Oslo, August 31st (Soda Pictures): A day in the life of a young recovering drug addict (Anders Danielsen Lie), who takes leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo. Directed by Joachim Trier, it stars Malin Creplin, Akel M. Thanke, and Hans Olva Brenner. [Selected cinemas / 15]
The crowd-sourced documentary Life in a Day is now available to watch in full on YouTube.
Depicting life on July 24th 2010, the film consists of over 80,000 video clips submitted to YouTube and is credited to director Kevin Macdonald and ‘the Youtube Community’, with Ridley Scott as producer.
Editor Joe Walker along with McDonald had the daunting task of whittling down over 4,500 hours of footage from 140 countries into a coherent 95 minutes.
You can watch it all here:
The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and the premiere was streamed live on YouTube.
It was also announced recently that a follow up film called Britain in a Day will be made from videos from the public about their lives on November 12th, 2011.
A YouTube video shows scenes from Michelangelo Antonioni‘s Blow-up (1966) alongside the London locations thirty years later.
Still one of the best ever depictions of England’s capital city, the film is about a photographer (David Hemmings) who takes a shot of two lovers in a park and soon finds out there’s more to the image than he first realised.
It also influenced films such as The Conversation (1974) and Blow Out (1981), which played around with similar themes but replaced the central plot device of photography with audio instead.
The actual park used for filming was Maryon Park in Charlton and a few years ago (1999?) someone shot this video of the locations and then posted them in a split-screen video online.
What’s fascinating is that many of the themes of the film hold up today, especially the line where Vanessa Redgrave admonishes Hemmings for taking a photo in a public place (some issues of technology and privacy are still with us).
Also, the observational style of the camera work reveals plenty of interesting things in the modern day video – such as the man not wearing a shirt walking towards the camera – which perhaps highlight the central theme of the elusiveness of what we see.
The Tree of Life (20th Century Fox Home Ent.): Terrence Malick’s hugely ambitious exploration of human life through the lens of a family growing up in 1950s Texas won the Palme d’Or earlier this year. Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken and Sean Penn, it features some astounding visuals, a story rich in emotion and some innovative visual effects. Forget reports about critics being divided on the film (they weren’t) and savour one of the best of the films of the year so far. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK] [Original theatrical review]
The Conversation (StudioCanal): One of two classic films Francis Ford Coppola managed to direct in 1974 (the other was The Godfather Part II) this psychological thriller played upon themes of paranoia and surveillance, which were timely in the year Watergate forced Nixon to resign. Starring Gene Hackman as an expert who gradually fears he may have uncovered something sinister, it is a masterclass in visuals, audio and editing. Co-starring John Cazale, Frederic Forrest and Harrison Ford it does for audio what Antonioni’s Blowup (1966) did for photography. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
The Outsiders (Optimum Home Entertainment): Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel included a remarkable array of young actors: C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Ralph Macchio all feature in this teen melodrama about fueding ‘greasers’ and ‘socs’ in 1950s Oklahoma. It showed Coppola could recover after the disastrous One from the Heart (1982) and seemed to pave the way for his accomplished period films in the resulting decade, such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] Beautiful Girls (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Everything Must Go (G2 Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Helldriver (Bounty Films) [Blu-ray / Normal] Maniac Cop (Arrow Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Mimic (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Special Edition] Orphans (Park Circus) [Blu-ray / Normal] Quentin Tarantino Collection (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Box Set] Robin of Sherwood: Complete Series 3 (Network) [Blu-ray / Box Set] Shrek (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal] Shrek 2 (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal] Shrek the Third (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal] Smallville: Season 10 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Smoke (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal] Tactical Force (Entertainment One) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Adventures of Mark Twain (Eureka) [Blu-ray / 25th Anniversary Edition] The Princess of Montpensier (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal] X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
James Cameron recently accepted the Popular Mechanics award for Breakthrough Leadership in 2011 where he discussed technology, filmmaking and the Avatar sequels.
Here is video of Popular Mechanics Editor-in-Chief Jim Meigs and Sigourney Weaver presenting the award to Cameron and his subsequent speech:
Earlier in the day he spoke at length to Meigs, where they discussed his early sci-fi influences, the importance of 2001: A Space Odyssey, why filmmakers should embrace technology, deep-sea exploration and the real-world influences on Avatar:
Here is the subsequent audience Q&A where he discusses higher frame rates, how the US can get its innovative edge back, the presentation of scientists on film and the experience of 3D in cinemas and the home.
The very idea of Roland Emmerich making a movie about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays is enough to spark laughter, but the end result is a handsomely staged period piece.
For those not familiar with the Shakespeare authorship question, it goes a little something like this: how could a man who didn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge write some of the greatest works of literature of all time?
Throw in the fact that little is known about certain aspects of his life and you have a vacuum into which a well-oiled conspiracy can grow, the principal one being that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays, which this film uses as a dramatic device.
But like those ideas it has an alarmingly large number of supporters, including Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud and even actors like Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance, who both have small roles in this film.
Although not an expert on the period, I have yet to see any compelling evidence that proves Shakespeare didn’t write the works attributed to him and tend to trust scholars such as Stanley Wells, Stephen Greenblatt and Jonathan Bate, who have written and spoken at length about how the man from Stratford did actually write the famous plays and poems.
Which brings us to Roland Emmerich’s new film, which arrived in UK and US cinemas this weekend amidst a predictable blizzard of stories about the ‘controversy’ surrounding this film with several critics scoffing loudly at it.
In fact Sony Pictures seemed to have staged a deeply misguided marketing campaign, baiting those upset with the premise of the film.
As of this weekend it hasn’t worked as early tracking suggests younger audiences have more problem with the ambitious jigsaw puzzle script than they do with the authorship question.
This has meant that they have scaled back the release of the film and their hopes of award season success seem limited to the technical categories.
All of this is a shame because Anonymous is a highly accomplished film, even if the phony debate surrounding it leaves a lot to be desired.
How did a project like this come about?
It goes back to the script John Orloff first wrote in the 1990s, which was originally shelved because of the success of Shakespeare in Love and later postponed in 2005 when Emmerich was going to direct it.
By this point he had earned enough money for the studio system with his apocalyptic blockbusters – Indpendence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009) – to attempt a pet project like this.
He’d always been an admirer of the script, which cleverly fuses Elizabethan literary and political conspiracies, whilst simultaneously reflecting very Shakespearean themes such as appearence and reality, the passage of time and the realities of power.
Opening with a modern day prologue (like Henry V) which takes the premise that Shakespeare was a fraud, it employs an ambitious flashback structure that goes between the succession crisis at the end of the Elizabethan era and the earlier events which led to the creation of plays which reflected both the politics of the time and would burn brightly for centuries to come.
It is vital to remember that like Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991) and Shakespeare’s play Richard III, this is a version of history, which plays around with history for dramatic effect and further discussion.
Forget the provocative device that the movie has been sold on and enjoy the way in which it weaves the subjects and themes of Shakespeare into an Elizabethan conspiracy thriller.
The way in which elements of Shakespeare’s plays are woven into the material is masterful – Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet are just some of the plays that are referenced throughout, leading up to a climax which makes you want to watch the story all over again.
For those curious about Emmerich’s involvement, he manages to use his considerable technical skills as a big budget director to help shape a stunning depiction of Elizabethan England.
The production design, costumes and visual effects work wonders in creating a believable world – probably the best ever recreation of this period – even though the events which happen in it are wildly speculative.
It is this duality which makes Anonymous interesting – a film which uses the latest filmmaking technology is also an engaging depiction of the power of words in both politics and art.
There is also some stellar acting going on, most notably Rhys Ifans in the main role. After a wildly fluctuating career, he gives a performance of great depth and power, which is as welcome as it is surprising.
In supporting roles there is the neat trick of casting the mother and daughter team of Redgrave and Joely Richardson as Elizabeth I (both are excellent) and other reliable British thespians like David Thewlis in key roles.
The major flaw in terms of the characters is (ironically) the presentation of Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) as a total dolt, which is a failed attempt to position him in the traditional fool role – although any student of the plays knows it is often the fools who provide the insight and wisdom.
As for the failed joke in the otherwise excellent script about actors and playwrights, it didn’t prevent actors like Moliere and Pinter from becoming decent writers.
However, the presentation of the plays within the film is excellent – if a little inaccurate – and is probably the most advanced recreation of the Globe Theatre on film, showing how the audience were an important part of the experience (which also mirrors the political importance of the stage at the time).
The digital visuals by cinematographer Anna J. Foerster look incredible, with the darker candlelit interiors captured with amazing depth and clarity.
Shot on Arri’s (relatively) new Alexa camera, some scenes may be used as a benchmark test for what can be achieved using modern digital cameras.
For Emmerich this may be a glorious one-off before he goes back to the blockbuster realm – so good in fact, that future audiences might think he didn’t actually direct it.
The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (Paramount): Animated version of the famous Belgian character from director Steven Spielberg. Based on the first three books, it sees Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his loyal dog Snowy as they come across a valuable model boat and various characters, including: enigmatic Sakharine (Daniel Craig), drink-soaked Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and twin Interpol agents Thomson and Thompson (Nick Frost and Simon Pegg). [Read our full review here] [Nationwide / PG]
The Ides of March (E1 Films): Adapted from Beau Williams’ stage play Farragut North, this political drama focuses on a young strategist (Ryan Gosling) assisting his campaign boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in getting an inspirational Democratic candidate (George Clooney) elected. Co-starring Paul Giamatti, Evana Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei, it was directed by Clooney. [Read our full review here] [Nationwide / 15]
Anonymous (Sony Pictures): Rolan Emmerich’s latest film is something of a departure: a conspiracy drama about who actually wrote the plays of William Shakespeare, set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her. Starring Rhys Ifans, Xavier Samuel, Jamie Campbell Bower and Joely Richardson. [Nationwide / 12A]
The Help (Disney): Drama set in the American South during the era of segregation and three women who strike up an unlikely friendship. The surprise sleeper hit of the summer at the US box office, it was directed by Tate Taylor and stars Emma Stone, Mike Vogel, Bryce Dallas Howard and Viola Davis. [Nationwide / 12A]
The winners have been announced at this year’s London Film Festival Awards.
BEST FILM: We Need To Talk About Kevin (Dir. Lynne Ramsay)
On behalf of the jury John Madden (Chair) said:
“This year’s shortlist for Best Film comprises work that is outstanding in terms of its originality and its stylistic reach. It is an international group, one united by a common sense of unflinching human enquiry and we were struck by the sheer panache displayed by these great storytellers. In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film, a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love. We Need to Talk About Kevin is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema.”
BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER: Candese Reid, Actress in Junkhearts
Chair of the Best British Newcomer jury, Andy Harries said:
“Candese is a fresh, brilliant and exciting new talent. Every moment she was on screen was compelling.”
SUTHERLAND AWARD WINNER: Pablo Giorgelli, director of Las Acacias.
The jury commented:
“In a lively and thoughtful jury room debate, Las Acacias emerged as a worthy winner, largely because of the originality of its conception. Finely judged performances and a palpable sympathy for his characters makes this a hugely impressive debut for director Pablo Giorgelli.”
GRIERSON AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY: Into the Abyss: A Tale of Life, A Tale of Death (Dir. Werner Herzog)
The award is co-presented with the Grierson Trust (in commemoration of John Grierson, the grandfather of British documentary) and recognises outstanding feature length documentaries of integrity, originality, technical excellence or cultural significance. The jury this year was chaired by Adam Curtis.
BFI FELLOWSHIP: Ralph Fiennes and David Cronenberg (as previously announced)
Greg Dyke, Chair, BFI said:
‘The BFI London Film Festival Awards pay tribute to outstanding film talent, so we are delighted and honoured that both Ralph Fiennes, one of the world’s finest and most respected actors and David Cronenberg, one of the most original and ground-breaking film directors of contemporary cinema, have both accepted BFI Fellowships – the highest accolade the BFI can bestow. I also want to congratulate all the filmmakers and industry professionals here tonight, not only on their nominations and awards, but also for their vision, skill, passion and creativity.’
Jurors present at the ceremony included: Best Film jurors John Madden, Andrew O’Hagan. Gillian Anderson, Asif Kapadia, Tracey Seaward and Sam Taylor-Wood OBE; Sutherland jurors Tim Robey, Joanna Hogg, Saskia Reeves, Peter Kosminsky, Hugo Grumbar, and the artist Phil Collins.
Best British Newcomer jurors Anne-Marie Duff, Tom Hollander, Edith Bowman, Stephen Woolley and Nik Powell; and Grierson Award jurors Mandy Chang of the Grierson Trust, Charlotte Moore, Head of Documentary Commissioning at BBC, Kim Longinotto and Adam Curtis.
A wonkish but highly efficient political drama provides George Clooney the chance to pay tribute to his favourite era of filmmaking.
Adapted from Beau Williams’ stage play Farragut North, the basic story is a cocktail loosely inspired by the skulduggery of recent US presidential primaries.
It focuses on a young, ambitious strategist (Ryan Gosling) who is assisting his campaign boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in getting an inspirational Democratic candidate (George Clooney) elected.
With the Republican field bare, the primary takes on extra significance, especially when a rival campaign manager (Paul Giamatti), a journalist (Marisa Tomei) and an intern (Evan Rachel Wood) start to pose ethical and moral dilemmas.
With a script credited to Williams, Clooney and Grant Heslov, it seems to be a deliberate attempt to apply the weary but wise tone of classic 70s cinema to recent times.
It offers up an approach that seems to draw on the best work of directors such as Alan Pakula and Sidney Lumet, with moral ambiguity, composed framing and a considered use of long takes all adding to the atmosphere.
Clooney has admitted that he delayed making this film until the brief tidal wave of hope that got Obama elected subsided and there is no doubt that this is trying to capture the dynamics of modern politics with an eye to the past.
It even appears to draw from some of the drama of the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, as well as its 2004 predecessor in which Williams worked for presidential hopeful Howard Dean.
Throughout the film is peppered with neat little political references, be it the Shepherd Fairey Obama poster, Eisenhower’s campaign slogan (‘I Like Ike‘ crosses party lines to become ‘I Like Mike’) and there is a great line about an ‘unofficial rule’ for Democratic candidates (which I wont spoil here).
It seems the writers and crew have been absorbing documentaries as D.A. Pennebaker’s The War Room, reading dishy campaign books such as Race of a Lifetime by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, whilst blending them in with current disillusionment about the US political system.
For non-political junkies, this occasionally veers into territory that some might consider arcane, with operatives discussing strategies, insider websites and how a story might be killed or resurrected (then killed again), which might leave some audience members cold.
The original title of the play refers to a Washington metro station near to where veteran campaign operatives ‘retire’ to create lucrative political consulting firms.
But Clooney has opted to widen the scope of the material: the new Shakespearean title (which both refers to Julius Caesar and Super Tuesday) and the emphasis on themes of loyalty give it a relevance beyond a particular campaign or country.
One of the most immediately pleasurable aspects of the film is the pacing of the narrative, which starts off brisk and then sucks you into the unfolding drama, courtesy of the script and Stephen Mirrione’s brisk, efficient editing.
Shooting on location in Ohio and Michigan has paid off handsomely, as the bleak wintry landscapes not only feel realistic but seem an appropriate backdrop for the actions of the central characters.
This is probably one of the most dazzling Hollywood ensembles in quite some time: Gosling is believable as the brilliant but naive protagonist; Clooney exudes the charm and ambition of a serious candidate; Seymour Hoffman and Giamatti excel as the weary but wise campaign managers and Wood and Tomei are convincing in small but key roles.
If there is a flaw with the casting, it is that actors of the quality of Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Ehle are limited to very minor roles.
Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael skilfully channels the desaturated look of 70s dramas like Three Days of the Condor, The Conversation and to create a strong visual palette for the movie.
One particular influence appears to be Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate, which starred Robert Redford as a hopeful Democratic candidate: it would make an interesting double bill with this film.
As an actor-director making serious movies inside the Hollywood system, Clooney is in some ways a modern day Redford and both films present fascinating depictions of ends justifying the means, both in politics and art.
Another film that offers an interesting comparison with this is Michael Clayton, a 2007 corporate thriller which itself was heavily indebted to Pakula’s conspiracy trilogy of the 1970s, only in The Ides of March it is Clooney in the Sydney Pollack (or maybe Tom Wilkinson?) role and Gosling in the Clooney part.
This isn’t quite on the same level as Tony Gilroy’s film, let alone its 70s forebears, but it nonetheless offers us a darker-than-usual depiction of power, politics and the reality of grasping the White House from your ideological enemies .
The score by Alexander Desplat is suitably brooding and atmospheric, without ever overpowering the action on screen and combined with some clever sound editing, makes for some highly effective moments.
With both political parties and the current system seemingly paralysed by an inability to reform the financial system, a drama like this feels weirdly appropriate for the current times in which we live.
By showing the compromises and skulduggery on the campaign trail, it mirrors the bleak reality of politicians once they are in actually in power and the crushed dreams of the present era.
Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Steve Jobs came out today and 60 Mins did a recent interview with the author, which included sound clips of the late Apple boss.
I’ve already started reading the book and although some of it has been leaked, there are some incredible insights and details.
Straw Dogs (Fremantle Home Entertainment): Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 drama about a US academic (Dustin Hoffman) who moves to Cornwall with his wife (Susan George) and then gets into trouble with the locals. Banned on home video for many years, this release is the uncut version. [Buy the Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
The Guns of Navarone (Sony Pictures Home Ent.): 1961 World War II adventure about an allied mission to destroy Nazi guns on a key strategic Mediterranean island. Directed by J. Lee Thompson, it stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn and was adapted by Carl Foreman from Alistair MacLean’s best-selling novel. [Buy the Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
Ashes & Diamonds (Arrow Academy): Classic 1958 Polish drama set in 1945 that depicts the postwar power struggles in the country. Directed by Andrzej Wajda, it stars Zbigniew Cybulski and Ewa Krzyzewska. This is a new 2K resolution restoration, features a 25 minute interview with the director and a booklet of notes by Michael Brooke. [Buy the Blu-ray & DVD from Amazon UK]
Red Desert (BFI Video): Michelangelo Antonioni’s classic 1964 film was his first in colour and ended up being one of his best. It depicts the crisis of a young woman (Monica Vitti) stuck in an unhappy marriage and her relationship with a British engineer (Richard Harris). [Buy the Blu-ray & DVD from Amazon UK]
Withnail and I (Studiocanal): This 1987 film dramatises the struggles of two out of work actors in North London (Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant) who go on a visiti to the countryside. Based on writer-director Bruce Robinson’s experiences, it was financed by George Harrison’s Handmade Films and cult viewing on home video. [Buy the Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
Angels of Evil (Artificial Eye) [Blu-ray / Normal] Blood Creek (EV) [Blu-ray / Normal] Holy Rollers (Crabtree Films) [Blu-ray / Normal] Honey/Honey 2 (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Ice Age 3 – Dawn of the Dinosaurs (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy] John Lennon: LENNONYC (Go Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal] Jurassic Park/The Lost World – Jurassic Park/Jurassic Park 3 (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / with Digital Copy – Double Play] Mother’s Day (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Pearl Jam: Twenty (Sony Music Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Planet Dinosaur (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal] Rio (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / + DVD and Digital Copy – Triple Play] Sea Rex 3D – Journey to a Prehistoric World (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition] Shelter (TLA Releasing) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Ballad of Narayama (Eureka) [Blu-ray / with DVD – Double Play] The Caller (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition + 2D Edition + DVD + Digital Copy] The Conspirator (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Whistleblower (High Fliers Video Distribution) [Blu-ray / Irish Version] V: Seasons 1-2 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] V: The Complete Second Season (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal]
This talk was held at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis after the success of Sideways, which had been one of the the most acclaimed films of the previous year.
Hosted by LA Times & NPR film critic Kenneth Turan, the conversation goes pretty deep into his career as they cover various aspects of his life and work, including:
His Nebraska background
Film school
His early love of Kurosawa films, silent cinema and the New Hollywood era of the 1970s
Getting in to the film idustry
Using non-professional actors
Why he likes adapting novels
The original ending of Election
Adapting About Schmidt and working with Jack Nicholson
Why he loves voiceover
Shooting physical comedy
Sideways and the idea of personal cinema
The importance of casting
Pros and cons of modern filmmaking technology
Women audiences and Sideways
The influence of silent Italian comedy and Hal Ashby on Sideways
Using success to get the next film made
Fans of his work will find much to chew on here and for aspiring filmmakers it provides interesting insights into one of the best American directors currently working.
