Whatever happened to THX? This DVD starts with that enormous, room-filling THX sound and the rectangular “The Audience Is Listening” box on the screen. I used to love going to the theater just to see/hear/experience that. Sometimes, the THX intro was so awesome that the audience would gasp, then chuckle. And, believe it or not, […]
Entries Tagged as 'Panavision (Widescreen)'
My Fair Lady
September 25th, 2009 · No Comments · 1964, Adaptation, Alan Jay Lerner, Audrey Hepburn, Color, Composer: André Previn, George Bernard Shaw, George Cukor, Marni Nixon, Musical, My Fair Lady, Panavision (Widescreen), Rex Harrison, Swearing, Warner Bros. Pictures
Now this is a musical I can enjoy. The songs are memorable. The characters are rich. The story is delightful. The actors are magical. The costumes are vibrant. My Fair Lady is one of two musicals I hold near and dear to my heart, the other being Singin’ In the Rain, my favorite musical of […]
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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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West Side Story
September 22nd, 2009 · No Comments · 1961, Adaptation, Color, Composer: Leonard Bernstein, Marni Nixon, Musical, Panavision (Widescreen), Robert Wise, United Artists, West Side Story
There’s a line in Raiders of the Lost Ark that ranks among my favorites: “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” In my case, it’s “Musicals. Why did it have to be a musical?” West Side Story is a musical. “These are the gayest gang members I’ve ever seen in my life,” my wife […]
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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
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 […]
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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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