No doubt about it, the life of Mahatma Gandhi is inspiring. The death of Mahatma Gandhi (at the hands of an assassin) is a profoundly ironic tragedy, which makes Gandhi a powerful, deeply moving film. I remember when Gandhi was released in 1982. I saw it with a group of friends. One of them, the […]
Entries Tagged as 'Columbia Pictures'
Gandhi
October 13th, 2009 · No Comments · 1982, Ben Kingsley, Bhagavad Gita, Biopic, Color, Columbia Pictures, Drama, Gandhi, John Gielgud, Non-Violent Civil Disobedience, Original Screenplay, Sir Richard Attenborough
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Kramer vs. Kramer
October 11th, 2009 · No Comments · 1979, Adaptation, Color, Columbia Pictures, Drama, Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs Kramer, Meryl Streep, Mid-Point, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure
Kramer vs. Kramer, the three-hanky movie that pits the sizable talents of Meryl Streep against those of Dustin Hoffman (on opposite sides of a custody battle for the divorcing couple’s son), is a well-constructed film that still holds up some 30 years after it was released. In fact, some scenes – like the “French-toast scene” […]
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Oliver!
September 29th, 2009 · No Comments · 1968, Adaptation, Color, Columbia Pictures, Hugh Griffith, Musical, Oliver Reed, Oliver!
I have an amendment to my earlier proclamation that I hate musicals. I’ve discovered something far worse: A musical with, about, and presumably for children. Charles Dickens, on his best day, could not possibly be considered cheery. So to take a story about orphans, pickpockets, prostitutes, child labor, lying, violence, murder, and the grime of […]
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A Man For All Seasons
September 27th, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1966, A Man For All Seasons, Adaptation, Color, Columbia Pictures, Drama, Henry VIII, Orson Welles, Robert Shaw, Thomas More
This movie came as a tremendous surprise. I didn’t know what it was about or who starred in it. But the second I saw the names Robert Shaw (one of my favorite character actors) and Orson Welles I knew I was in for a treat. THE PLOT The story takes place in 16th century England. […]
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Lawrence of Arabia
September 23rd, 2009 · No Comments · 1962, Adaptation, Claude Rains, Color, Columbia Pictures, David Lean, Drama, Jack Hawkins, Lawrence of Arabia, Panavision (Widescreen), Peter O'Toole
Sweeping doesn’t begin to describe Lawrence of Arabia. Even the making-of feature is epic. And, certainly, the aspect ratio of Lawrence of Arabia is vast. Of that, the description of the film on Amazon says this: There’s no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. […]
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Bridge On the River Kwai, The
September 18th, 2009 · No Comments · 1957, Adaptation, Bridge On the River Kwai, Cinemascope (Wide Screen), Colonel Bogey March, Color, Columbia Pictures, David Lean, Drama, Jack Hawkins, War
The second color movie in a row! And – surprise! – another adaptation! I love making-of featurettes. The one for this movie, The Bridge On the River Kwai, is outstanding. An hour in length and worth many conversations with friends and family, this behind-the-scenes feature is as remarkable as the movie itself. Watching it, I […]
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On the Waterfront
September 15th, 2009 · 2 Comments · 1954, Adaptation, Black and White, Columbia Pictures, Composer: Leonard Bernstein, Drama, Elia Kazan, Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront, Rod Steiger, Swearing
Marlon Brando: Man? Or Myth? Discuss. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) biography on Marlon Brando is practically a novella, and it begins like this: “Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time…” Well. What can I say to that other than prove it. Bring it, Brando. Let’s see whatcha got. Wow […]
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From Here To Eternity
September 14th, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1953, Adaptation, Black and White, Columbia Pictures, Composer: George Duning, Drama, From Here to Eternity, Inciting Incident, Mid-Point, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, War
Hollywood returns to form for this, the 17th adaptation out of 26 Best-Picture films. With From Here to Eternity, Hollywood has chosen as Best Picture movies based on novels, short stories, plays (or characters in one of the three) 65% of the time. A plot summary written by Ed Sutton on the Internet Movie Database […]
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All The King’s Men
September 10th, 2009 · No Comments · 1949, Adaptation, All The King's Men, Black and White, Columbia Pictures, Composer: George Duning, Drama
Hollywood adaptation frenzy continues with this film, All The King’s Men starring Broderick Crawford. This movie marks the fourth adaptation in a row to be named Best Picture, and increases the total number of adaptations to 15 out of 22 films. That’s an astounding number of adaptations, well over half of the movies named Best […]
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