According to the IMDB trivia page, about three hours into the grand premiere of Exodus, an American comedian rose from his seat and, paraphrasing Charlton Heston’s Moses, yelled out: “Otto Preminger, let my people go!”
This Hollywood lore is almost too good to be true, but nonetheless a sentiment I fully understand. While usually I love these overtly long early 1960s epics, Exodus, however, is no Lawrence of Arabia or Spartacus - the year’s great Oscar competitor to which it…
As a person, Klaus Kinski was undoubtedly a highly disturbing individual. His screen presence, however, remains unrivaled. Here, as the titular character Cobra Verde, we arguably see him at his most crazy.
Not the best Herzog/Klinski collaboration, but a solid addition to their other 'colonial era' pictures Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo.
"It will be a sad day for England when her armies are officered by men who know too well what they are doing."
One of the great films about incompetence. The contrast with the 1936 Michael Curtiz depiction of the Charge of the Light Brigade could not have been greater. Both films were products of their time and its interesting to see how the appreciation of this military folly changed in a little over thirty years. This 1968 British production…
“Well, Peter... this is what comes of empire building.”
I have always been a fan of these old fashioned adventure films like The Charge of the Light Brigade, Gunga Din or Northwest Passage. Yes, they romanticize the British Empire and would not be the kind of films made today, but I appreciate these type of films for what they are: just fun adventure and escapism. I never realized, however, that much like the often romanticized view that Hollywood painted of…
I would have loved to have been there when Gilliam first pitched the idea for this film.
I loved the first seasons of the series. The Alfred the Great story arc of The Last Kingdom was incredible television. And while the latter seasons were quite dull in the sense that some of the episodes really tended to drag, the film that was supposed to wrap up Uthred of Bebbanburg’s quite adventurous life in Anglo-Saxon England is, however, way too rushed. This time the creators propped what could have been great material for a toned down final season,…
Michael Curtiz was the ultimate studio system workhorse, someone who was apparently at ease with and excelled in almost all the genres he tried as a director. Like Hawks he shifted easily between historical epics, war dramas, westerns, and even a Bing Crosby musical. While unlike Hawks he didn’t really develop his own style or ‘touch’, but here with The Sea Wolf Curtiz transitioned into only a handful of directors that ultimately mastered the film noir. It’s a very dark…
After seeing Never so Few I am just grateful that this film didn’t wreck Steve McQueen’s career before it even got off the ground. I have always had a thing for these kind of old-fashioned war films that are low on the unnecessary subplots and affluent in action, explosions and bravado. Looking at John Sturges’ career he has always been the kind of director to deliver. He was no Hawks or Ford, but more like a 1950s/60s equivalent of Richard…
”You have turned defeat into victory”.
The great John Milius described The Bridge on the River Kwai as the ultimate ‘men-on-a-mission’ film. I don’t know whether I agree with him. It is undoubtedly a great ‘men-on-a-mission’ war adventure, but it only becomes one well after the one hour mark. I once heard Sydney Pollack state in an interview that The Bridge on the River Kwai takes its time that is almost unbelievable and is simply impossible to make today. Or…
I was really looking forward to The Pale Blue Eyes. There is a plethora of novels featuring murder mysteries in a historical setting, and while I hadn’t read this particular source material it sounded and looked at first very promising. Unfortunately, The Pale Blue Eyes turned out (very) mediocre. Just like there are only few contemporary thrillers in the same league as Fincher’s Se7en, so it turned out that it is also difficult to equal arguably the greatest historical murder…
I was afraid Top Gun: Maverick would end up like basically ever Nolan film: one that I adore in the cinema – sometimes even resulting in multiple visits – but once I watch it again at home wonder why I ever liked it in the first place. But irrespective of the size of your screen or whether or not you have dolby atmos in your living room, Maverick remains just an incredible movie experience. A film like this has no…