New Dr Zhivago trailer

A confession: I have never seen DR ZHIVAGO at the cinema, or all the way through on television - though I have the DVD for all those extras, including those interviews with Lean and Christie. I have though seen bits of it lots of times from various screenings 
The film has now been restored by the BFI (British Film Institute) and is the centrepiece of their latest big season, on Love. So perhaps its time to finally see it as Lean intended ...

More old movie magazines 1

We got another selection of old 50s and 60s movie magazines - those quality British ones: "Films & Filming" and "Sight & Sound", and a few "Plays & Players". - I had that 1972 one, on American theatre, with Bacall on the cover, and an interview with Tennessee Williams.  I saw that 1980 HAMLET too at the Royal Court, it was a highly praised production at the time, with Jonathan Pryce and Jill Bennett - I must return to that when I get around to all those Hamlets ...

The film ones also have interesting interviews with the likes of Hitchcock, Bergman (Ingmar), Fellini & Antonioni. At least I can scan and preserve them ... I like that cover with Belmondo (THE MAN FROM RIO), and Lee Remick in SANCTUARY, and Coward and Guinness in OUR MAN IN HAVANA, and Julie Christie with gay photographer pal Roland Curram in DARLING. These capture that mid-60s vibe nicely, like those ones with Monica Vitti as MODESTY BLAISE or David Hemmings in BLOW-UP.

The Roman empire falls again ....

Easter week and the big guns are being wheeled out once again. Nice to catch up with Anthony Mann's 1964 epic THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE once again (BEN HUR and SPARTACUS will be coming along too and the very lush CLEOPATRA). EMPIRE just looks better year after year (as does Mann's EL CID), and a nice movie to spend a couple of hours with as one copes with a head cold. First of all, it still looks great, with those real sets and its perfectly cast with that first hour or so focusing on those frozen wastes in the German forests in the snow at that outpost of the Roman Empire as Marcus Aurelius mediates on his impending mortality (aided by a poisoned apple) as his son Commodus plots to take over the Empire. Alec Guinness is perfect here as the ailing emperor with his friend Timonides who is James Mason. The two of them bring such depth and dignity to their roles.  

Sophia Loren as the emperor's daughter Lucilla - framed by Mann in lots of fascinating shots swathed in furs and against imposing backgrounds. Stephen Boyd fills out the hero role (it wouldn't have been quite right for Heston) and Christopher Plummer makes for a devious rather insane imposter to the throne, as it turns out he is not the son of Aurelius at all! Mel Ferrer, John Ireland, Omar Sharif and Anthony Quayle fill out the other leading roles as the empire is lost as Rome is conquered from within. 

It is interestingly done and is probably the last of the big epics of the early '60s, following SPARTACUS and CLEOPATRA. Anthony Mann also directed EL CID and this is more of the same, also from producer Samuel Bronston. Further "epics" like 55 DAYS AT PEKING or the rather tatty GENGHIS KHAN were just not in the same league. 
So, the last of the big ones then - and the starting point for the later GLADIATOR, though CGI spectacles are just not the same (see TROY for instance!). It must have been an important movie for Loren - she had started off 14 years earlier as an extra in QUO VADIS in 1950, and now here she was headlining her own roadshow epic! Alec Guinness is very interesting in his autobiography on taking Loren out to dinner during the shoot - 20 years earlier she may well have been one of the hungry children in Naples whom he was giving food to when in the English army during WWII!

Fall of the Roman Empire

A perfect movie to while away a snowy afternoon with! Nice to catch up with Anthony Mann's 1964 epic THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE once again - its perfectly cast with that first hour or so focusing on those frozen wastes in the German forests at that outpost of the Roman Empire as Marcus Aurelius mediates on his impending mortality (aided by a poisoned apple) as his son Commodus plots to take over the Empire. Alec Guinness is perfect here as the ailing emperor with his friend Timonides who is James Mason. Both actors are always a pleasure to see and here we have Sophia Loren as the emperor's daughter Lucilla - framed by Mann in lots of fascinating shots swathed in furs and against imposing backgrounds. Stephen Boyd fills out the hero role and Christopher Plummer makes for a devious rather insane imposter to the throne, as it turns out he is not the son of Aurelius at all! Mel Ferrer, John Ireland, Omar Sharif and Anthony Quayle fill out the other leading roles as the empire is lost as Rome is conquered from within. It is interestingly done and is probably the last of the big epics of the early '60s, following SPARTACUS and CLEOPATRA. Anthony Mann also directed EL CID and this is more of the same, also from producer Samuel Bronston. Further "epics" like 55 DAYS AT PEKING or the rather tatty GENGHIS KHAN were just not in the same league. So, the last of the big ones then - and the starting point for the later GLADIATOR, though CGI spectacles are just not the same (see TROY for instance!). It must have been an important movie for Loren - she had started off 14 years earlier as an extra in QUO VADIS in 1950, and now here she was headlining her own roadshow epic!

Robert Wise's 1955 HELEN OF TROY is also a pleasure and must more interesting than, well, TROY. The ancient city is nicely evoked, the crowd scenes work, the leads may be a bit bland but Rosanna Podesta is quite charming and lovely and the likes of Stanley Baker, Harry Andrews, Cedric Hardwick as Priam and Janette Scott as Cassandra all impress, and there is Brigitte Bardot as Helen's handmaiden, just before her Vadim sensations!