Ah, Billy Wilder. After the length, depth, and heaviness of Ben-Hur a good Billy Wilder film is just what the doctor ordered. As nuts as I am about Gene Kelly, I’m equally as passionate about Billy Wilder, a writer/director I’ve come to respect above all others. Hallmarks of a Billy Wilder film include incredibly clever […]
Entries Tagged as 'M-G-M Studios'
Apartment, The
September 21st, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1960, Apartment, Billy Wilder, Black and White, Comedy, Inciting Incident, Jack Lemmon, M-G-M Studios, Mid-Point, Original Screenplay, Panavision (Widescreen), Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, Shirley MacLaine, Swearing
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Ben-Hur
September 20th, 2009 · No Comments · 1959, Adaptation, Ben-Hur, CGI, Charlton Heston, Color, Composer: Miklós Rózsa, Drama, Hugh Griffith, Jack Hawkins, M-G-M Studios, Panavision (Widescreen), William Wyler
You know you’re in trouble when the overture to a movie lasts six and a half minutes. And when the word “OVERTURE” is superimposed on the image is of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. And when the movie begins with the birth of Christ. And when a reported 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and […]
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Gigi
September 19th, 2009 · No Comments · 1958, Adaptation, Cinemascope (Wide Screen), Color, Composer: André Previn, Gigi, Leslie Caron, M-G-M Studios, Musical, Vincente Minnelli
Remember what I wrote about musicals? Gigi is no exception. I fear it. Or is it loathe? Makes no difference. I have no clue how this movie won nine (nine!) Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Vincente Minnelli, 1903-1986), Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner, 1918-1986), Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (Andre Previn, […]
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An American In Paris
September 12th, 2009 · No Comments · 1951, An American In Paris, Color, Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, M-G-M Studios, Musical, Original Screenplay, Vincente Minnelli
I need to get two things off my chest: 1. I love Gene Kelly. Call it a man crush, a bromance. I don’t care. I think the guy was amazing. I enjoy the man’s smooth-as-silk singing, his 100-watt smile, his remarkable dancing, his undeniable charisma, and his extraordinary energy. Gene Kelly can do no wrong […]
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Mrs. Miniver
September 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments · 1942, Adaptation, Black and White, Clara Bow, Composer: Herbert Stothart, Drama, M-G-M Studios, Mrs. Miniver, Walter Pidgeon, War, William Wyler
Oh, Mrs. Miniver, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways… I may not be alone in my dislike for this movie. The curmudgeonly book The Real Oscar: The Story Behind the Academy Awards, by Peter H. Brown, indicates a great deal of politics are behind the Oscar picks (what a surprise!) and […]
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Great Ziegfeld, The
August 28th, 2009 · 3 Comments · 1936, Biopic, Black and White, Great Ziegfeld, M-G-M Studios, Musical, Original Screenplay, Powell and Loy
When I found out this was a musical of sorts, I was fully prepared to dislike it. (You see, I’m not a big fan of musicals.) The Great Ziegfeld is the semi-autobiographical story pf Florenz “Flo” Ziegfeld (1867 – 1932), the American Broadway “impresario” best known for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies […]
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Mutiny On the Bounty
August 27th, 2009 · No Comments · 1935, Adaptation, Black and White, Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Composer: Herbert Stothart, Donald Crisp, Drama, Frank Lloyd, Herbert Mundin, M-G-M Studios, Mutiny On the Bounty
Arrr, Matey! Here I sit, tankard (well, glass…but it’s a big glass) of Newcastle Brown Ale in hand, biting off hunks of cheese, and imagining there’s a chatty parrot on my shoulder to which I offer crackers. If only I had a CD from the folk-metal band Alestorm (“Scottish Pirate Metal”) playing in the background […]
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Broadway Melody, The
August 21st, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1928-1929, Black and White, Broadway Melody, The, Clara Bow, M-G-M Studios, Musical, Original Screenplay, Stuttering, The 1920s, Unofficial Academy Award Nomination
My hopes aren’t very high for this movie. According to most of the books I consulted, The Broadway Melody is just not that hot of a film. Charles Matthews in his book Oscar A to Z: A Complete Guide to More Than 2,400 Movies Nominated For Academy Awards writes, The years have not been kind […]
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What Does “Not An Official Nomination” Mean?
August 21st, 2009 · No Comments · Broadway Melody, The, M-G-M Studios, Musical
Gee whiz, I’m only on my second movie and I’ve already stumbled upon a mystery. According to the Academy Awards site, the 1928/1929 Academy Awards ceremony (the one in which Broadway Melody took top honors) was not “official” somehow. They offer no explanation as to what that means. And I can find no explanation anywhere […]
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