“When men die, they enter history. When statues die, they enter art. This botany of death is what we call culture.” - (STATUES ALSO DIE; 1953) I was deeply saddened to wake up to the news that director Alain Resnais has died at age 91. Resnais has continued to make movies into his 90s and … Continue reading Alain Resnais 1922-2014
Oh dear! What can the matter be?
“Oh dear! What can the matter be? Dear! Dear! What can the matter be? Oh Dear! What can the matter be? Johnny’s so long at the fair.” – Author unknown, 1793 British director Terence Fisher is best known for his work with Hammer Films but before he started making movies for the studio that dripped … Continue reading Oh dear! What can the matter be?
Ken Russell 1927-2011
The news about Ken Russell’s death hit me hard. Just last week the great man actually took the time to befriend me on Twitter (I’d been following him there for a year or more). I exchanged a brief note with him and got the opportunity to tell him I was honored that he had taken the time to follow me. And I hope that he knew he was one of my favorite directors.
KEN RUSSELL: IN HIS OWN WORDS
Controversial film director Ken Russell passed away suddenly this week at the age of 84. Russell has long been considered the bad boy of British cinema or the original ‘enfant terrible’ of the empire, but for almost as long as I can remember he’s been one of my favorite filmmakers. I was introduced to his … Continue reading KEN RUSSELL: IN HIS OWN WORDS
A Light that Never Went Out: The MTV Legacy of Derek Jarman
One of the most fascinating and overlooked aspects of Derek Jarman’s impressive filmmaking career is his collaborative work with musical artists. These projects materialized as experimental short films as well as music promo videos that regularly aired on MTV throughout the 1980s. Jarman appreciated the money he made directing videos but he wasn’t particularly happy … Continue reading A Light that Never Went Out: The MTV Legacy of Derek Jarman
Radical Shakespeare: The Alchemy of Derek Jarman’s “The Tempest”
The Tempest (1979) was Derek Jarman’s third feature-length film and it’s arguably one of his most accessible. In some ways it’s a rather traditional retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play about an aging magician named Prospero (Heathcote Williams) who is imprisoned on an island with his beautiful daughter Miranda (Toyah Willcox) and a beast called Caliban … Continue reading Radical Shakespeare: The Alchemy of Derek Jarman’s “The Tempest”
Derek Jarman: An Appreciation
As a teenager growing up in the '80s it was impossible to overlook Derek Jarman's work. He was all over MTV. He was part of a group of British filmmakers that included Julien Temple and Alex Cox who made music videos or music inspired films that seemed particularly in-sync with their times. Jarman's work was interesting, experimental and demanding of its audience but I appreciated the challenges he presented.
Blake Edwards and THE PARTY (1968)
Peter Sellers and Claudine Longet in The Party (1968) I recently wrote a piece about The Party (1968) for the newest issue of Screening the Past that you can read online. Issue #30 of Screening the Past is a tribute to the late director Blake Edwards and The Party is my favorite Edwards' film. I … Continue reading Blake Edwards and THE PARTY (1968)
Happy Birthday Joseph Losey!
Two of my favorite people: Director Joseph Losey & actor Dirk Bogarde Today marks what would have been Joseph Losey's 102 birthday. Unfortunately very few of us live that long and Losey died in 1984 at age 75. Lately critics around the world seem to be rediscovering his work and rethinking their opinion of the … Continue reading Happy Birthday Joseph Losey!
FAVORITE DVD RELEASES OF 2010
Every year I try to compile a list of my favorite new DVD releases. These lists tend to focus on films from the ’60s and ’70s since they’re my favorite film eras. This year I decided to expand my view a little and disregard limitations so I could share a varied list of all my … Continue reading FAVORITE DVD RELEASES OF 2010
‘Tis the Season
Happy Holidays from Cinebeats & Julie Christie! 'Tis the season. I've been preoccupied with home renovations, work and holiday plans lately so I haven't had a lot of free time to watch movies or blog and I don't think I'll be updating much in December. In an effort to keep things interesting here at Cinebeats … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967)
I recently watched Clive Donner's teenage sex farce Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967) for the first time. Soon afterward I learned that the director had died at age 84 so in tribute to Donner I decided to write about the film for TCM this week. I really enjoyed Here We Go Round … Continue reading Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967)
