Huffington Post: Where Are All the Classy, Smart Female Stars Today? (Thank God - I Found One)
See John's latest piece at The Huffington Post: Where Are All the Classy, Smart Female Stars Today?
See John's latest piece at The Huffington Post: Where Are All the Classy, Smart Female Stars Today?
Watching Shakespeare on film makes even the most seasoned and cultivated movie lover instinctively make an internal adjustment, as they ready themselves for poetic language of a type they never hear, and of which, if they concentrate, they might understand about 80%.
Reading the Bard is quite a different matter, as you can go back and study his unparalleled turn of phrase. But seeing his work performed, you really have to keep up, as like the French and Italians, Shakespearian actors can- as appropriate to the scene and character- deliver their lines at a speedy clip, and alas, momentarily, something may be lost in the transmission.
To which I say, worry not. The acting, plots, sets, and costumes in the best of these period pieces are ample compensation for missing that occasional phrase either mumbled in secret or bellowed in majestic fury.
In terms of Shakespearian film, it's well known that actors like Sir Ian McKellen and Kenneth Branagh have in more recent days taken up the tradition of introducing film-goers to the man most often acknowledged as the finest playwright humanity has ever known. Before them, there was Sir Laurence Olivier, and on either side of him, Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud.
My favorite Branagh outing is undoubtedly "Henry the Fifth" (1989). He emits a rugged fire that- dare I say it- makes him even more suited to the part than Olivier. This is not to say that Olivier's 1945 rendition pales by comparison. Though a more refined looking actor than Branagh, he possessed both the voice and countenance that would make most any Englishman follow him lustily into battle.
Olivier's Oscar-winning "Hamlet" (1948) is also vastly superior to Branagh's, unmatched to this day, though many praise Mel Gibson's version too.
Only recently did I revisit two of Olivier's slightly lesser-known film adaptations: his superb "Richard the Third" (1947) and equally fine "King Lear" (1983), which was done for British television just a few years before Olivier's death.
"Richard" is a marvel: rarely have I seen a character so poisonous, so thoroughly awash in evil. His deformity gives him all the hatred he needs to systematically usurp the throne of England. Of course, noone is terribly sad when the scheming hunchback finally gets his come-uppance. Shot in rich Technicolor, Olivier is supported by frequent collaborators Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, as well as Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and a young, stunning Claire Bloom. In all, "Richard" is a glorious achievement.
By the time Olivier was finally cajoled into doing "Lear" for posterity, he was chronically ill and frail. The television production values leave something to be desired, but again the cast is so outstanding that it hardly matters: joining Olivier here are Diana Rigg and Dorothy Tutin as Lear's two "false" daughters, and Anna Calder-Marshall as the virtuous youngest daughter, Cordelia. Also on hand are Colin Blakely, Jeremy Kemp, John Hurt, and Leo McKern, who almost steals the show as the ever loyal Gloucester.
For those of you who are steeped in "Henry the Fifth" and "Hamlet", I urge you to watch these other two entries. You may not catch the meaning of every word, but you'll know what's going on, and you'll be aware in both cases of experiencing something very, very special.
Adieu, Sir Laurence.
"The Band's Visit", an Israeli/Egyptian film both written and directed with assurance by one Eran Kolirin, is a subtle, charming, deeply human film that will touch all who see it.
The premise is inspired enough: Egypt's super-formal Alexandria Police Band, fully uniformed, arrives in Israel's middle of nowhere. Having grabbed the wrong bus, the men remain miles away from where they need to perform the next evening.
There with no other option, they are (somewhat uncomfortably) taken in for the night by sexy shopkeeper Dina (Sasson Gabai), while a somewhat clueless friend whose wife is having a birthday also shelters a few of the reticent musicians.
How each group passes a most unusual night forms the substance of this offbeat, highly affecting feature.
At the center of it all is the platonic yet ultimately deep connection that develops between Dina and the band's seemingly stiff senior leader, widower Lt. Colonel Zacharya (Ronit Elkabetz). Nothing that occurs between these two characters, who would normally never meet, strains credulity, and both performers alternate in stealing the movie.
Feel like a feel-good film? Then lay hands on the Israeli/Egyptian treat, "The Band's Visit".
Getting a little tired of all that bright sun? Is it getting a little hot for you? I get it. Sometimes it's nice to go someplace dark and cool, where nobody knows you. I'll take you somewhere really dark and cool with my top 10 picks for "under the radar" film noir. See The Huffington Post this week.
I humbly confess I had never seen this film, and indeed had read mixed reviews about it. I'm now here to commend this top-notch epic to you without reservation.
Directed by Anthony Mann (best known for the noirish Westerns he directed in the fifties which transformed James Stewart's homespun image) and starring the late Charlton Heston, the film is crammed with exciting history and incident, as we go back to the tumult of 11th Century Spain and witness the tale of one Rodrigo Diaz, a mystical warrior who becomes known as "El Cid".
The period depicted was a perilous one for Spain, with the Christian population threatened by the Moors, led by the fiery Ben Yussef (Herbert Lom). We quickly learn Rodrigo is not merely a man of battle, but also one who senses when it is best to show mercy. By unilaterally granting clemency to a group of captured emirs (who will help him later), he incurs the wrath of the Spanish crown and his prospective father-in-law, whom he ends up killing in a duel. His betrothed Jemina (a stunning Sophia Loren) vows never to forgive him, but soon Rodrigo redeems himself, and Jemina and he reconcile.
When the Spanish King dies and a power feud erupts among his children for power and territory, Ben Yussef senses the moment is right to strike, But even with a weak new King on the throne, Spain still has El Cid, and El Cid has the Spanish people behind him, so Yussef's soldiers ultimately confront a good bit more than they bargained for.
For me, it was refreshing to see a gorgeously shot spectacle with no computer-generated effects, punctuated by a story with enough intriguing twists and turns to make its three hour run time speed by. Heston the star was always at home in epics- witness his "Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur"- and in my view, "El Cid", while perhaps not quite up to the level of the last two entries, is certainly solid enough on its own to warrant a viewing.
This is also prime family fare, particularly for older kids, who'll find it easier to follow. By all means, check out "El Cid".
See John's latest piece at The Huffington Post: The Biggest Jerk on Television.
Watching director Robert Greenwald's scathing documentary about Fox News, "Outfoxed" (2004), it becomes pretty evident that Bill O'Reilly must be the biggest jerk on TV. But let's not forget: Bill's just the bully-boy for that wily Aussie behind the curtain: Rupert Murdoch.
"Dying is easy-comedy, that's hard". No truer words were ever spoken, certainly as regards comedy. That's why I'm so excited about three new on DVD releases of three classic screwball entries from Hollywood's Golden Age: "Easy Living" (1937), written by soon-to-be director Preston Sturges and starring the irresistible, husky-voiced Jean Arthur; "Midnight"(1939), starring Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche, and written by soon-to-be director Billy Wilder (and partner Charles Brackett); and finally, "The Major and the Minor" (1942), starring the fabulous Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. "Major" was actually Wilder's first shot behind the camera in Hollywood, and he never looked back from this first solid success.
To celebrate Nicole Kidman's birthday this June, I highlight three of my favorite Kidman movies which display her range as an actress. First, To Die For (1995), a thriller directed by Gus Van Sant starring Kidman and Matt Dillon, where Nicole portrays an ambitious-and deadly- news reporter. Second, The Others (2001), a gothic horror film that stars Kidman as a mother with two photo-sensitive children trapped in a house she believes is haunted. And third, The Hours, a story of how Virginia Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects the lives of three women, each living in different time periods. Kidman, playing Woolf herself, is outstanding, and won an Oscar.
See John's latest piece at The Huffington Post:
John Farr: Why "The Decalogue" Still Matters After Twenty Years [Huffington Post]
