On this day in history as it relates to showbiz
1519 Catherine de Medici, Queen consort, born. She's been played in movies and TV by Kerry Fox, Megan Follows, Françoise Rosay, Maria Palmer, and many more but none so brilliantly as Virna Lisi in her Cannes winning performance in the sensational French epic Queen Margot (1994)
1570 Guy Fawkes born in England. V for Vendetta's "V" wears his face as a mask.
1743 Founding Father Thomas Jefferson born in Virginia. He's been played in movies and TV by actors like Nick Nolte, Jerry O'Connell, Stephen Dillane, Sam Waterston, Ken Howard, and many more...
1519 Catherine de Medici, Queen consort, born. She's been played in movies and TV by Kerry Fox, Megan Follows, Françoise Rosay, Maria Palmer, and many more but none so brilliantly as Virna Lisi in her Cannes winning performance in the sensational French epic Queen Margot (1994)
1570 Guy Fawkes born in England. V for Vendetta's "V" wears his face as a mask.
1743 Founding Father Thomas Jefferson born in Virginia. He's been played in movies and TV by actors like Nick Nolte, Jerry O'Connell, Stephen Dillane, Sam Waterston, Ken Howard, and many more...
- 4/13/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Editor’s Note: Alex Horwitz had no way of knowing “Hamilton” would become a cultural phenomenon that would change Broadway and launch his friend Lin-Manuel Miranda into super-stardom. Early on, however, the genre filmmaker (“Alice Jacobs is Dead”) and documentary film editor (“Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger”) could tell Miranda was onto something special. Specifically drawn to the way Miranda was bringing history to life through hip-hop in his early tracks, Horwitz picked up a camera and started capturing the creation of the musical, while joining Miranda on his research and exploration of the Founding Fathers.
In anticipation of the “Hamilton’s America” premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 1 and its television premiere on PBS’s “Great Performances” on October 21, IndieWire reached out to Horwitz to find out more about his new film, backed by RadicalMedia. What we got was this detailed...
In anticipation of the “Hamilton’s America” premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 1 and its television premiere on PBS’s “Great Performances” on October 21, IndieWire reached out to Horwitz to find out more about his new film, backed by RadicalMedia. What we got was this detailed...
- 9/20/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
It's tempting to set up Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain as a liberal idol – sadly, the Hollywood version of his battle isn't true
The story goes like this: 150 years ago today, Little Round Top was the key to the Union position at the battle of Gettysburg. If the Confederates had taken the hill, they would have won the battle. If the Confederates had won the battle, they would have won the war.
But the Confederates didn't take the hill, because a professor of languages and rhetoric from Bowdoin College commanded a bunch of Mainers in a heroic defence and, when their ammunition ran out, an even more heroic bayonet charge. Hollywood's version, in Gettysburg – a Ted Turner-funded epic based on The Killer Angels, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Shaara – goes like this:
Would that it were true. Would that the American Civil War was won by a "fighting professor" who looked like Jeff Daniels.
The story goes like this: 150 years ago today, Little Round Top was the key to the Union position at the battle of Gettysburg. If the Confederates had taken the hill, they would have won the battle. If the Confederates had won the battle, they would have won the war.
But the Confederates didn't take the hill, because a professor of languages and rhetoric from Bowdoin College commanded a bunch of Mainers in a heroic defence and, when their ammunition ran out, an even more heroic bayonet charge. Hollywood's version, in Gettysburg – a Ted Turner-funded epic based on The Killer Angels, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Shaara – goes like this:
Would that it were true. Would that the American Civil War was won by a "fighting professor" who looked like Jeff Daniels.
- 7/2/2013
- by Martin Pengelly
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – Mention “documentary,” in word association, and the next response is often “Ken Burns.” Burns brought a new voice to the documentary, and re-engineered the art form so much, that his technique is the “Ken Burns Effect.” His latest feature film, “The Central Park Five,” was co-directed by his daughter Sarah Burns and his son-in-law David McMahon.
The film is about a severe miscarriage of justice. In New York City in 1989, a female jogger was sexually assaulted in Central Park. Five men of color – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Kharey Wise and Yusef Salaam – merely boys at the time, were in proximity of the incident and arrested for the crime. Despite no evidence that they committed the assault, confessions were coerced and used against them at a hastily assembled and highly publicized trial. When the inevitable guilty verdict was rendered, the boys were unjustly incarcerated during a crucial period in their lives.
The film is about a severe miscarriage of justice. In New York City in 1989, a female jogger was sexually assaulted in Central Park. Five men of color – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Kharey Wise and Yusef Salaam – merely boys at the time, were in proximity of the incident and arrested for the crime. Despite no evidence that they committed the assault, confessions were coerced and used against them at a hastily assembled and highly publicized trial. When the inevitable guilty verdict was rendered, the boys were unjustly incarcerated during a crucial period in their lives.
- 12/4/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
DVD Playhouse—March 2011
By
Allen Gardner
127 Hours (20th Century Fox) Harrowing true story of Aron Ralston (James Franco, in another fine turn), an extreme outdoorsman who finds himself trapped in a remote Utah canyon, his arm pinned between two boulders, with no help nearby, no communication to the outside world, and dim prospects for survival, to say the least. Director Danny Boyle manages to prove again that he’s one of the finest filmmakers working today by making a subject that is seemingly uncinematic a true example of pure cinema. Inventive, breathtaking, funny, and horrifying, often all at once. Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara make a memorable, brief appearance as hikers who connect with Ralston during his journey. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Boyle, producer Christian Colson, co-writer Simon Beaufoy; Deleted scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Amarcord (Criterion) Federico Fellini’s Oscar-winning, autobiographical classic might...
By
Allen Gardner
127 Hours (20th Century Fox) Harrowing true story of Aron Ralston (James Franco, in another fine turn), an extreme outdoorsman who finds himself trapped in a remote Utah canyon, his arm pinned between two boulders, with no help nearby, no communication to the outside world, and dim prospects for survival, to say the least. Director Danny Boyle manages to prove again that he’s one of the finest filmmakers working today by making a subject that is seemingly uncinematic a true example of pure cinema. Inventive, breathtaking, funny, and horrifying, often all at once. Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara make a memorable, brief appearance as hikers who connect with Ralston during his journey. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Boyle, producer Christian Colson, co-writer Simon Beaufoy; Deleted scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Amarcord (Criterion) Federico Fellini’s Oscar-winning, autobiographical classic might...
- 3/1/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Nick Nolte has sexual chemistry with neither Greta Scacchi nor Thandie Newton in James Ivory's dubious 1995 biopic, yet it's so oddly accurate in some ways it's practically psychic
Director: James Ivory
Entertainment grade: D
History grade: C–
Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the United States.
He served as ambassador to France between 1785 and 1789.
Family
The film begins with the story of Madison Hemings (James Earl Jones). He was the son of Sally Hemings, a slave belonging to Thomas Jefferson. Hemings claimed his father, and that of his siblings, was Jefferson himself. For two centuries, historians pooh-poohed this, arguing that Jefferson was a moral puritan, that he disapproved of miscegenation, and that the whole story was a far-fetched smear campaign. Then along came DNA testing, and whoops: it looks like Madison Hemings was probably right all along. So don't listen to historians. Anyway, the film was...
Director: James Ivory
Entertainment grade: D
History grade: C–
Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the United States.
He served as ambassador to France between 1785 and 1789.
Family
The film begins with the story of Madison Hemings (James Earl Jones). He was the son of Sally Hemings, a slave belonging to Thomas Jefferson. Hemings claimed his father, and that of his siblings, was Jefferson himself. For two centuries, historians pooh-poohed this, arguing that Jefferson was a moral puritan, that he disapproved of miscegenation, and that the whole story was a far-fetched smear campaign. Then along came DNA testing, and whoops: it looks like Madison Hemings was probably right all along. So don't listen to historians. Anyway, the film was...
- 2/4/2010
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
This Sunday evening PBS will debut the first episode of famous documentary-maker Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea. It's a 12 hour long epic story, divided into six parts. PBS will be sequentially airing one new episode each night over the week. If you are not aware who Ken Burns is, perhaps you are familiar with some of his documentaries. He is best known for The Civil War, a documentary that was revolutionary upon its release. To tell the story of one of the United States' most significant events, Burns used slow camera movement over still photos, interviews with historians, emotional music, and superb storytelling to captivate audiences and inspire unparalleled interest in American history. Using these same techniques, he continued his exploration of American identity with documentaries like Jazz, Baseball, and Thomas Jefferson. His technique of scrolling...
- 9/24/2009
- by Levi Novey
- Huffington Post
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