In 1943, at Alfred Hitchcock’s request, John Steinbeck wrote a novella expressly to serve as the basis for Hitchcock’s new film, Lifeboat. As with any adaptation, Hitchcock and his screenwriters adapted the text to serve his purposes, and in 1944, Steinbeck watched the finished film — but was completely mortified and offended by what he saw. In his estimation, and in the letter he subsequently wrote to the studio, which we first saw over at Letters of Note, Hitchcock had turned his well-crafted black character into a parodic “stock comedy Negro” and did not want these “strange, sly obliquities” to be revealed to the public under his name. Click through to read, and — especially if you’ve seen the film — let us know what you think in the comments!
Last weekend, two new films opened by famous filmmakers who are, to varying degrees, getting the hell out of the film business. Haywire director Steven Soderbergh has been teasing his early retirement for months now; it’s somewhat comical, actually, the way he keeps adding in projects that he wants to do before his self-imposed exile. George Lucas, who spent decades getting Red Tails made, told The New York Timesthat he was retiring, at least from the business of making blockbuster films (maybe).
Soderbergh is 49. Lucas is 67. Making movies doesn’t have a mandatory retirement age, like fighting fires or flying planes. But should it?
We first saw this series of famous black and white photographs made new with a little recoloring over at Thaeger. While the concept isn’t earth-shattering, the results are pretty amazing — taking moments from the history books and reinventing them for a new generation. How else are we to fully appreciate Albert Einstein’s smart sweater, or Charlie Chaplin’s baby face, sans mustache? The portraits in Sanna Dullaway’s series have that reach out and touch quality, and the iconic “event” pictures breathe new life into each memorable moment. Margaret Bourke-White’s photo of the breadline during the Louisville flood in 1937 has been reprinted in blurry black and white so many times, it’s refreshing to actually see the expressions on each person’s face. Meanwhile, Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square circa 1945 proves that making out is always better in color. Click through for a closer look at select photos from the series.
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius’ delightful mash note to the silent cinema, is looking like a sure bet for heavy recognition at this year’s Oscars, racking up three SAG Award nominations, five Independent Spirit Award nominations, and six Golden Globe nominations, in addition to awards for best film of the year from the Boston Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Phoenix Film Critics Society, and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association. It’s easy to see why film critics in particular have taken to it: it evocatively tells the story of the end of the silent era as a silent movie, complete with black-and-white photography and period music (even using the traditional 1.33:1 aspect ratio).
But it’s not the first sound-era film to ape the silent style; aside from Chaplin’s final silent pictures, done well after sound had taken over, there’s Mel Brooks’ 1976 slapstick tribute Silent Movie, and Charles Lane’s 1989 indie Sidewalk Stories. What’s more, countless sound directors have used silent storytelling techniques to great effect, eschewing dialogue (and sometimes even sound effects) to work through their narrative beats via purely visual means. After the jump, we’ve assembled ten great “silent” scenes from the sound era; add your own in the comments.
[Editor's note: While your Flavorwire editors take a much-needed holiday break, we'll spend the next two weekends revisiting some of our most popular features of the year. This post was originally published July 20, 2011.] Tiny bathrooms, creepy Craigslist roommates, mice-infestations — typical apartment living is nothing like the movies. Our fifth-story walk-up is a far cry from the spaces we dreamed of when still living with Mom and Dad; there isn’t even one spiral staircase or floor-to-ceiling window. Looking back, we realized that many of our dream apartments were inspired by our favorite films. As a follow up to our list of the best movie bedrooms, we’ve rounded up 15 big-screen flats that are simply too good to be real, from Auntie Mame’s city splendor to Patrick Bateman’s minimalist bachelor pad. Add your suggestions in the comments.
Most poster art reflects the aesthetics of its creator — and Turkish designer Gizem Vural’s posters for the 30th Istanbul Film Festival definitely reflect her taste. But what’s really wonderful about her portraits of legendary filmmakers, from Alfred Hitchcock to Akira Kurosawa, is that they also reference the signature style of the directors themselves: Surrealist Luis Buñuel’s face is swirled beyond recognition, while Federico Fellini is rendered in bold colors and the kind of playful patterns we might find in his visually rich films. Enjoy the posters, found on Behance, after the jump, and visit Vural’s website to learn more about the 23-year-old designer’s work. Read More »
The holiday season means one thing for many kids across the globe (of all ages — yes, that means you): toys. Film’s finest offerings have inspired the money-grubbing marketing gods to create some truly terrible and infinitely weird tie-ins that left many people shaking their heads and wondering, “Why?” Before you race to the toy store to make merry, take note of the bizarre movie-related toys that we’ve shared past the break. Twilight, an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, and even a Michael Bay movie have inspired some of the strangest playthings in history. Check in with our picks for the most peculiar, and leave us your own below. Read More »
What’s that? You wanted to see pictures of a cute baby acting out various scenes in classic films? We can deliver. Over the course of several months, baby Arthur has been modeling for his mom, Emily Cleaver, who recreates scenes from well-known movies like Jaws, The Seventh Seal, and more. Some of the photos could be happy accidents, but most find Arthur sporting a tiny prop or costume that makes it all work. Click past the break to see more ridiculously cute photos.
Cinema buffs tend to romanticize the kind of auteur who takes years to finish a film. How many times have we heard breathless tales of Stanley Kubrick’s perfectionist antics, which left a five-year gap between Barry Lyndon and The Shining, and over a decade between Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut? Then there’s Terrence Malick, who took a generation-long break from filmmaking between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, and has never gone less than five years between features. But crappy, commercial directors are hardly the only ones who can bang one, two, or even five movies a year. After the jump, we’ve rounded up ten legendary moviemakers from around the world who also happen to be wildly prolific.
From the sexy vampires of True Blood and The Vampire Diaries to zombies (The Walking Dead), werewolves (Teen Wolf), and haunted houses (American Horror Story), TV is all about the dark side lately. But, while each of these shows features elements of the supernatural, they’re not all actually scary. In fact, over the years, horror — which generally lends itself best to film — has taken a back seat to comedy, drama, and even sci-fi to become one of television’s most neglected genres. Since it can be hard to give yourself a good scare on the small screen, in anticipation of Halloween, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite frightening TV shows of all time. If you’re looking for some seasonal viewing, many of these series are available to stream on Netflix or Hulu, and some are even free to watch on YouTube. Tell us what we missed in the comments.
