In 1946, when Humphrey Bogart signed an updated contract with Warner Bros., he was able to stipulate a list of directors preferred for future projects. John Huston and Howard Hawks were no surprise—having helmed some of Bogart’s most admired films, they were also good friends with the iconic star—and two more of his chosen directors, John Cromwell and Delmer Daves, were well-regarded for their efficiency and expertise (they each worked with Bogart the very next year). Then there was Michael Curtiz. While he had directed what was perhaps Bogart’s most venerated film, 1942’s Casablanca, in 1946 the director was hardly synonymous with Bogart’s body of work, or his temperament. And yet, it was Curtiz who had engaged Bogart prior to Hawks and Huston, the two directors widely credited with Bogart’s ascent to celebrity; it was Curtiz who was the last of the named directors to work...
- 7/16/2021
- MUBI
The show must go on. At least the Venice Film Festival must go on. Even a pandemic can’t stop the oldest international film festival from taking place Sept. 2 through Sept. 12 in the picturesque of grand canals. Of course, safety is first with masks, social distancing etc. are all in place as critics get a first glance at possible award-winners.
Over the past seven years, the festival has held world premieres of such Oscar-winners as 2013’s “Gravity”; 2014’s “Birdman”; 2015’s “Spotlight”; 2016’s “La La Land”; 2017’s “The Shape of Water”; 2018’s “Roma”; and 2019’s “Joker.” Only two films that won the festival’s top prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1948’s “Hamlet” and 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”
The festival began in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, the city’s legendary exhibition of the arts under the guidance of President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata,...
Over the past seven years, the festival has held world premieres of such Oscar-winners as 2013’s “Gravity”; 2014’s “Birdman”; 2015’s “Spotlight”; 2016’s “La La Land”; 2017’s “The Shape of Water”; 2018’s “Roma”; and 2019’s “Joker.” Only two films that won the festival’s top prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1948’s “Hamlet” and 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”
The festival began in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, the city’s legendary exhibition of the arts under the guidance of President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata,...
- 9/2/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Bette Davis. No doubt the name instantly brings to mind Kim Carnes’ earworm ‘Bette Davis Eyes’, which has been covered by artists ranging from Gwyneth Paltrow to Brandon Flowers and Taylor Swift. Ah yes, those spellbinding, haunting heavy-cast eyes. They bewitched countless men and are part of our cultural zeitgeist. Bette Davis was so much more than the sum of her parts though. Her tenacity, independence, unique idiosyncrasies, and artistic instincts had and have no equal, even today. She has been labeled a diva and an outright bitch, but she is unquestionably a trailblazer and an icon in every sense.
This “Noirvember” Tiff Cinematheque’s senior programmer James Quandt has curated a divine tribute to the classy dame (labeled The Hard Way:The Films of Bette Davis), highlighting fifteen of her most memorable roles.
Some crowning films of the tribute include (In chronological order):
Three on a Match (1932)-Now...
This “Noirvember” Tiff Cinematheque’s senior programmer James Quandt has curated a divine tribute to the classy dame (labeled The Hard Way:The Films of Bette Davis), highlighting fifteen of her most memorable roles.
Some crowning films of the tribute include (In chronological order):
Three on a Match (1932)-Now...
- 11/18/2013
- by Leora Heilbronn
- IONCINEMA.com
Philip French enjoys an account of Humphrey Bogart's journey from a troubled, wealthy family to movie royalty
Born in the last days of the Victorian era into a well-established New York family, Humphrey Bogart went from riches to even greater riches as he became one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. His father was a wealthy, Yale-educated doctor addicted to alcohol and morphine, his mother a successful magazine illustrator and heavy drinker, and they were constantly at each other's throats. Emerging from this troubled household Humphrey became a rebellious figure at his exclusive prep school and then in the navy, where he acquired the famous scar on his upper lip, possibly when struck while escorting a fellow sailor to jail but, more likely, in a brawl – certainly not, as claimed, in battle. He was later to remark that he was "Democrat in politics, Episcopalian by upbringing, dissenter by disposition".
He sampled...
Born in the last days of the Victorian era into a well-established New York family, Humphrey Bogart went from riches to even greater riches as he became one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. His father was a wealthy, Yale-educated doctor addicted to alcohol and morphine, his mother a successful magazine illustrator and heavy drinker, and they were constantly at each other's throats. Emerging from this troubled household Humphrey became a rebellious figure at his exclusive prep school and then in the navy, where he acquired the famous scar on his upper lip, possibly when struck while escorting a fellow sailor to jail but, more likely, in a brawl – certainly not, as claimed, in battle. He was later to remark that he was "Democrat in politics, Episcopalian by upbringing, dissenter by disposition".
He sampled...
- 2/13/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
There are many actors who might get a 24-film set released which would make for a collection of great and/or important films, but few would be so filled with legendary efforts. This is not only true today, as The Humphrey Bogart Essential Collection makes its way to stores, but it will probably always be true. The combination of talent, charisma, and timing is unlikely to come together in such a way again, and no matter what actors come along, none of them will exist in the right decade.
Certain films may leap to mind, of course, like – Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, etc. – and these giants are wonderful to own, but the collection really gets its value from some of the films that aren’t on the short list of titles that everyone automatically thinks of when they hear his name.
Certain films may leap to mind, of course, like – Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, etc. – and these giants are wonderful to own, but the collection really gets its value from some of the films that aren’t on the short list of titles that everyone automatically thinks of when they hear his name.
- 11/23/2010
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Inspired by the rampant crime of 30's and gangsters like Lucky Luciano, Lloyd Bacon's Marked Woman (1937) stars Bette Davis as Mary Strauber, the hostess of a nightclub that offers booze, gambling and female companionship all for a price.One night, notorious gangster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) shows up and takes over Mary's club, demanding that she and her evening-girls pay him protection money. The girls, knowing all about Vanning's criminal exploits and his tendency to use violence, agree to pay him out of fear and intimidation.After Vanning has a man ...
- 9/20/2010
- by d.dimattei
- Examiner Movies Channel
Jane Bryan, who played ingenues in several Warner Bros. productions of the late 1930s, died on April 8 at her home in Pebble Beach, California, following a long illness. She was 90. The Los Angeles-born (on June 11, 1918) Jane O’Brien had her name changed to Jane Bryan after landing a Warners contract in the mid ’30s. Bryan’s most notable role at the studio was as Paul Muni’s mistress in We Are Not Alone (1939), directed by Edmund Goulding. Apart from that, she was usually seen as forgettable sweet young things, supporting Bette Davis in Marked Woman (1937), Kid Galahad (1937), The Sisters (1938), and The Old Maid (1939); Edward G. Robinson in A Slight Case of Murder (1938); and Kay Francis in Confession (1937). Bryan also appeared in the popular B comedies Brother Rat (1938) and Brother Rat and a Baby (1940), playing opposite fellow contract players Priscilla Lane, Wayne Morris, Eddie Albert, Ronald Reagan, and Jane Wyman. Her...
- 4/12/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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