In the early 1970s, Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan wrote and recorded songs for the English version of Italian director Franco Zeffirelli’s film “Brother Sun, Sister Moon,” about the early years of St. Francis of Assisi, that evoked the “flower power” hippie movement and developed a cult following.
Half a century later, Donovan traveled to Italy last week to watch a freshly restored version of the film in two celebratory events. The first was an intimate private screening held in Rome’s Quirinale Palace for Italian President Sergio Mattarella and a select group of officials, and the next was in Florence, the late Zeffirelli’s birthplace, where the Zeffirelli Foundation held a free screening open to the public attended by a copious contingent of Franciscan monks.
Donovan, who was born in Glasgow, emerged on the U.K. folk scene in 1965. He broke out the following year with the album “Sunshine Superman,...
Half a century later, Donovan traveled to Italy last week to watch a freshly restored version of the film in two celebratory events. The first was an intimate private screening held in Rome’s Quirinale Palace for Italian President Sergio Mattarella and a select group of officials, and the next was in Florence, the late Zeffirelli’s birthplace, where the Zeffirelli Foundation held a free screening open to the public attended by a copious contingent of Franciscan monks.
Donovan, who was born in Glasgow, emerged on the U.K. folk scene in 1965. He broke out the following year with the album “Sunshine Superman,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Before praising the 2024 Oscars and their approach to sex, we need to acknowledge one truth. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences completely ignored one of the best movies of the year, and a movie that features one of the most frank and vulnerable sexual scenes committed to film. It, of course, involves a bathtub, where one man’s desire for another becomes clear in a way that not even he had heretofore acknowledged.
What? No, not Saltburn. I said a good movie, not a loud nothing that approaches sex like a 12-year-old who just learned a few rude words.
I’m referring to the beautiful Andrew Haigh film All of Us Strangers, which received no Oscar attention, not even for its outstanding leads Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. The scene in question occurs after screenwriter Adam (Scott) returns from his parents’ home, where he just came out to his mother,...
What? No, not Saltburn. I said a good movie, not a loud nothing that approaches sex like a 12-year-old who just learned a few rude words.
I’m referring to the beautiful Andrew Haigh film All of Us Strangers, which received no Oscar attention, not even for its outstanding leads Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. The scene in question occurs after screenwriter Adam (Scott) returns from his parents’ home, where he just came out to his mother,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Don Murray, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Marilyn Monroe in the 1956 film adaptation of William Inge’s play “Bus Stop,” has died. He was 94.
His son Christopher confirmed his death to the New York Times.
In the 2017 reboot of “Twin Peaks,” he played Bushnell Mullins, the chief executive of Lucky 7 Insurance.
Murray also starred in the fourth entry in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”; played Brooke Shield’s father in “Endless Love”; and recurred on prime-time soap “Knots Landing” as Sid Fairgate.
Reviewing “Bus Stop,” directed by Joshua Logan, the New York Times said: “With a wondrous new actor named Don Murray playing the stupid, stubborn poke and with the clutter of broncos, blondes and busters beautifully tangled, Mr. Logan has a booming comedy going before he gets to the romance. A great deal is owed to Mr.
His son Christopher confirmed his death to the New York Times.
In the 2017 reboot of “Twin Peaks,” he played Bushnell Mullins, the chief executive of Lucky 7 Insurance.
Murray also starred in the fourth entry in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”; played Brooke Shield’s father in “Endless Love”; and recurred on prime-time soap “Knots Landing” as Sid Fairgate.
Reviewing “Bus Stop,” directed by Joshua Logan, the New York Times said: “With a wondrous new actor named Don Murray playing the stupid, stubborn poke and with the clutter of broncos, blondes and busters beautifully tangled, Mr. Logan has a booming comedy going before he gets to the romance. A great deal is owed to Mr.
- 2/2/2024
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
A whole generation of moviegoers may know Michael York from the Austin Powers movies, but his career goes all the way back to the swingin’ ’60s, when he was in a couple of Franco Zeffirelli’s Shakespeare films. One of the early highlights of his career was 1972’s Cabaret, a film version of the 1966 Broadway play. The movie, which won eight of the 10 Academy Awards for which it was nominated (it lost the Best Picture award to The Godfather), still manages to find new audiences more than five decades later. We’ve spoken to York about the film many times over the years, and he credits the movie’s Oscar-winning director, Bob Fosse, with making a film that has stood the test of time. (Click on the media bar below to hear Michael York) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MIchael-_York_Cabaret.mp3
Cabaret is available on DVD, Blu-Ray,...
Cabaret is available on DVD, Blu-Ray,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Martin McCallum, a British theatrical producer whose work on more than 500 Broadway and West End shows saw his participation in some of the most successful stage productions in modern theater history, died peacefully, surrounded by family, on January 14 in Sydney, Australia. He was 73.
His death was announced by his family. A cause was not disclosed.
The President of the Society of London Theatre from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the Broadway League since 1988, McCallum made an indelible mark on Broadway with massive hits, critical favorites and even two high-profile flops.
His impact on the London theater scene was even greater. Born in Blackpool on April 6, 1950, McCallum began his stage career as an assistant stage manager at the Castle Theatre Farnham,...
His death was announced by his family. A cause was not disclosed.
The President of the Society of London Theatre from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the Broadway League since 1988, McCallum made an indelible mark on Broadway with massive hits, critical favorites and even two high-profile flops.
His impact on the London theater scene was even greater. Born in Blackpool on April 6, 1950, McCallum began his stage career as an assistant stage manager at the Castle Theatre Farnham,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeymes Samuel can take the heat when it comes to commentary about his work. And he’s expecting plenty to follow the release of his latest film, The Book of Clarence, a biblical epic set for release on Jan. 12 about a man who, witnessing the rising popularity of Jesus the Messiah, attempts to cash in on that fame by performing fake miracles to get out of debt.
“People always see things the wrong way and they call it backlash,” says the director who also wrote and produced the film and its accompanying soundtrack, which arrives Friday along with the feature. “It’s conversation. I like the smoke. Let’s talk.”
Lakeith Stanfield stars in the lead role of Clarence, which reunites him with his The Harder They Fall co-star R J Cyler among a large ensemble cast that includes Omar Sy, Caleb McLaughlin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anna Diop and James McAvoy.
“People always see things the wrong way and they call it backlash,” says the director who also wrote and produced the film and its accompanying soundtrack, which arrives Friday along with the feature. “It’s conversation. I like the smoke. Let’s talk.”
Lakeith Stanfield stars in the lead role of Clarence, which reunites him with his The Harder They Fall co-star R J Cyler among a large ensemble cast that includes Omar Sy, Caleb McLaughlin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anna Diop and James McAvoy.
- 1/12/2024
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marina Cicogna, a film producer and one of the first women to establish herself in the traditionally male cinema environment in Italy, died Saturday in Rome. She was 89.
Cicogna produced several important Italian films, including Metti, una Sera a Cena by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) by Elio Petri, with the latter winning the Oscar for best foreign language film in 1971. The New York Times called her “one of the most powerful women in European cinema.”
Her extraordinary experience and career were recounted in 2021 in the documentary film Marina Cicogna. Life and Everything Else by Andrea Bettinetti and in her autobiography, Ancora Spero, released this year by Marsilio Publishing.
Cicogna died with Benedetta Gardona, her companion of more than 30 years, by her side.
Ahead of receiving the 2023 David Award for Lifetime Achievement this year, Cicogna...
Cicogna produced several important Italian films, including Metti, una Sera a Cena by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) by Elio Petri, with the latter winning the Oscar for best foreign language film in 1971. The New York Times called her “one of the most powerful women in European cinema.”
Her extraordinary experience and career were recounted in 2021 in the documentary film Marina Cicogna. Life and Everything Else by Andrea Bettinetti and in her autobiography, Ancora Spero, released this year by Marsilio Publishing.
Cicogna died with Benedetta Gardona, her companion of more than 30 years, by her side.
Ahead of receiving the 2023 David Award for Lifetime Achievement this year, Cicogna...
- 11/6/2023
- by Livia Paccariè
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marina Cicogna, Italy’s first major female film producer who shepherded films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Zeffirelli and Elio Petri, including Petri’s Oscar-winning “Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion,” has died. She was 89.
Cicogna died on Nov. 4 in her Rome home after a long battle with an unspecified form of cancer, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
The Venice Biennale foundation is a statement, praised her as “the first female film producer in Europe” and noted that she was always deeply linked to the Venice Film Festival that was founded by her grandfather, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.
Born in Rome on May 29, 1934, to Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata, Cicogna attended high school in Italy and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she struck up a friendship with Jack Warner’s daughter Barbara Warner and established a connection with Hollywood.
In...
Cicogna died on Nov. 4 in her Rome home after a long battle with an unspecified form of cancer, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
The Venice Biennale foundation is a statement, praised her as “the first female film producer in Europe” and noted that she was always deeply linked to the Venice Film Festival that was founded by her grandfather, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.
Born in Rome on May 29, 1934, to Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata, Cicogna attended high school in Italy and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she struck up a friendship with Jack Warner’s daughter Barbara Warner and established a connection with Hollywood.
In...
- 11/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It’s not every day that a filmmaker will rise up during an interview and recite Old Testament tales and sing out their favorite hymn. Well, hallelujah, brother Jeymes Samuel for spreading the gospel’s good news.
The director’s spectacular Jesus in the hood movie, The Book of Clarence, starring a mighty fine Lakeith Stanfield playing a charlatan wannabe Messiah, shakes up the toga and peepy toe genre.
Samuel’s movie has its world premiere Wednesday at the BFI London Film Festival. The Legendary Pictures production is released through Tristar with congregations taking their pews from January 12, 2024.
The movie’s thrilling prologue kicks off with a rip-roaring, wheel-screeching chariot race with Mary Magdalene thrashing the lads.
The moment was of course inspired by the iconic chariot scene between Charlton Heston’s Judah Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd’s Messala in William Wyler...
The director’s spectacular Jesus in the hood movie, The Book of Clarence, starring a mighty fine Lakeith Stanfield playing a charlatan wannabe Messiah, shakes up the toga and peepy toe genre.
Samuel’s movie has its world premiere Wednesday at the BFI London Film Festival. The Legendary Pictures production is released through Tristar with congregations taking their pews from January 12, 2024.
The movie’s thrilling prologue kicks off with a rip-roaring, wheel-screeching chariot race with Mary Magdalene thrashing the lads.
The moment was of course inspired by the iconic chariot scene between Charlton Heston’s Judah Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd’s Messala in William Wyler...
- 10/11/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Tarak Ben Ammar, the president of Eagle Pictures, strolls into The Hollywood Reporter Roma studio at the Venice Film Festival in casual dress, polo shirt and pants, all in the same matching grey, except for pitch-black loafers.
“I love to walk,” he says, tutting about the state of disrepair of Lido landmark The Excelsior, which he just passed by and which is in dire need of renovation. “The Excelsior can no longer be called a luxury hotel,” he argues, before taking a seat to talk about his storied life in the movie business.
The Tunisian-French media mogul knows a few things about rebuilding. Ben Ammar acquired Eagle Pictures in 2007 and has turned the Milan-based production and distribution group into a European powerhouse. Exclusive distribution deals with Paramount and Sony Pictures have made Eagle Italy’s largest independent distributor, and Ben Ammar has leveraged his Sony deal to co-produce with the studio,...
“I love to walk,” he says, tutting about the state of disrepair of Lido landmark The Excelsior, which he just passed by and which is in dire need of renovation. “The Excelsior can no longer be called a luxury hotel,” he argues, before taking a seat to talk about his storied life in the movie business.
The Tunisian-French media mogul knows a few things about rebuilding. Ben Ammar acquired Eagle Pictures in 2007 and has turned the Milan-based production and distribution group into a European powerhouse. Exclusive distribution deals with Paramount and Sony Pictures have made Eagle Italy’s largest independent distributor, and Ben Ammar has leveraged his Sony deal to co-produce with the studio,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Pino Gagliardi
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The full lineup has been unveiled for the festival’s 36th edition.
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 36th edition, including 20 world premieres across its two competition strands.
The festival, set to run October 23 to November 1, will feature 15 titles in its main Competition section led by Japan and China, which each have three films in the selection.
Scroll down for full list
From China are crime drama A Long Shot from debut feature director Gao Peng; Snow Leopard by late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, which premiered at Venice; and Dwelling By The West Lake by Gu Xiaogang,...
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 36th edition, including 20 world premieres across its two competition strands.
The festival, set to run October 23 to November 1, will feature 15 titles in its main Competition section led by Japan and China, which each have three films in the selection.
Scroll down for full list
From China are crime drama A Long Shot from debut feature director Gao Peng; Snow Leopard by late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, which premiered at Venice; and Dwelling By The West Lake by Gu Xiaogang,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Equal numbers of Chinese and Japanese titles adorn the main competition section of the Toyo International Film Festival, which was announced on Wednesday – three each.
Among the Chinese films is “Snow Leopard,” the last feature by the late Pema Tseden, and “Dwelling by the West Lake,” directed by Gu Xiaogang, the surprisingly inexperienced joint recipient of this year’s Kurosawa Award.
The full competition with 15 titles, set to play between Oct. 23 and Nov. 1, includes the world premiere of Russian director Alexei German Jr.’s “Air” and Filipino director Sheron Dayoc’s “The Gospel of the Beast.”
The trio from Japan are: “(Ab)Normal Desire,” by Kishi Yoshiyuki; “A Foggy Paradise,” by Kotsijui Yohei; and “Who Were We,” by Tomina Tetsuya.
The festival’s gala selection appears designed for entertainment pleasure. In addition to the previously-announced “Perfect Days” and “Godzilla Minus One,” set as the festival’s opening and closing films,...
Among the Chinese films is “Snow Leopard,” the last feature by the late Pema Tseden, and “Dwelling by the West Lake,” directed by Gu Xiaogang, the surprisingly inexperienced joint recipient of this year’s Kurosawa Award.
The full competition with 15 titles, set to play between Oct. 23 and Nov. 1, includes the world premiere of Russian director Alexei German Jr.’s “Air” and Filipino director Sheron Dayoc’s “The Gospel of the Beast.”
The trio from Japan are: “(Ab)Normal Desire,” by Kishi Yoshiyuki; “A Foggy Paradise,” by Kotsijui Yohei; and “Who Were We,” by Tomina Tetsuya.
The festival’s gala selection appears designed for entertainment pleasure. In addition to the previously-announced “Perfect Days” and “Godzilla Minus One,” set as the festival’s opening and closing films,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Try to Remember,” the most famous song to have come out of the stage musical “The Fantasticks,” was noted for its autumnal feel, sung by someone reflecting back on youthful days. The happy irony is that Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt wrote that song prior to the show’s original 1960 staging when they were both still relatively young men of about 30, fellows who still had about two-thirds of their lives ahead of them. Schmidt, who wrote the music, died in 2018 at age 88, and Jones, who penned the show’s lyrics and book, died Friday at 95.
Here’s to it having been a heck of a long way from September to December.
When the movie version of the show came out in the fall of 2000, I wrote about it for Entertainment Weekly and said that “for my money, ‘The Fantasticks’ is the best pure live–action movie musical since ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’” Now,...
Here’s to it having been a heck of a long way from September to December.
When the movie version of the show came out in the fall of 2000, I wrote about it for Entertainment Weekly and said that “for my money, ‘The Fantasticks’ is the best pure live–action movie musical since ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’” Now,...
- 8/13/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is bringing the prized Paris Theater back online after major upgrades, including installing a new Dolby Atmos sound system and the technology needed to play 70mm film for the first time in over 15 years, the streamer announced Wednesday.
New York’s iconic art house cinema at 4 W. 58th Street will celebrate the occasion by hosting “Big & Loud,” a program showcasing classics from across the decades, as well as films for the sonically-obsessed. It runs Sept. 1-7.
The 70mm lineup includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Baraka, Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Playtime, Roma and Top Gun.
Dolby Atmos Dcp movies being screened in the “Big & Loud” program include Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, Blade Runner: Final Cut, Da 5 Bloods, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, Memoria — which has never before screened in Atmos — and A Quiet Place. Other offerings include Blow Out, La Ciénaga, The Conversation...
New York’s iconic art house cinema at 4 W. 58th Street will celebrate the occasion by hosting “Big & Loud,” a program showcasing classics from across the decades, as well as films for the sonically-obsessed. It runs Sept. 1-7.
The 70mm lineup includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Baraka, Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Playtime, Roma and Top Gun.
Dolby Atmos Dcp movies being screened in the “Big & Loud” program include Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, Blade Runner: Final Cut, Da 5 Bloods, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, Memoria — which has never before screened in Atmos — and A Quiet Place. Other offerings include Blow Out, La Ciénaga, The Conversation...
- 8/9/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tarak Ben Ammar has big plans for Italy. The Franco-Tunisian film and TV mogul is already a major player in the Italian industry thanks to Eagle Pictures, the production and distribution group he acquired in 2007 that is now Italy’s largest independent distributor due to exclusive distribution deals with Paramount and Sony Pictures for the territory. Ben Ammar joined Tom Cruise on the Rome red carpet for the June 19 world premiere of Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and later introduced Cruise to new Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. “The meeting [between Cruise and Meloni] was very interesting. The prime minister knows a lot about cinema,” says Ben Ammar about the far-right leader.
Alongside Eagle’s distribution deals, the company has also partnered with Sony to co-produce six films together, including The Equalizer 3, the latest in Antoine Fuqua’s action franchise starring Denzel Washington that was shot entirely in Italy.
Alongside Eagle’s distribution deals, the company has also partnered with Sony to co-produce six films together, including The Equalizer 3, the latest in Antoine Fuqua’s action franchise starring Denzel Washington that was shot entirely in Italy.
- 8/3/2023
- by Pino Gagliardi
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italy has just hosted Summit for US and French producers, is taking major delegation to Tokyo Film Festival and will be Country in Focus at Berlinale’s EFM.
Italy has embarked on a major campaign to promote its filmmakers and movies around the world and to attract international productions to the country.
Last week, the country hosted the Audiovisual Producer’s Summit in Trieste, inviting leading US producers and studio executives as well as a significant French delegation to meet with Italian producers and industry figures. This follows Italy being the guest of honour at Mexico’s Guadalajara Film Festival in June.
Italy has embarked on a major campaign to promote its filmmakers and movies around the world and to attract international productions to the country.
Last week, the country hosted the Audiovisual Producer’s Summit in Trieste, inviting leading US producers and studio executives as well as a significant French delegation to meet with Italian producers and industry figures. This follows Italy being the guest of honour at Mexico’s Guadalajara Film Festival in June.
- 7/28/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
A judge has put a dagger in the heart of the lawsuit involving the stars of 1968’s Romeo and Juliet, siding with Paramount Pictures in deciding that its use of underage nudity actually falls under the First Amendment and that the stars “had not complied with the provisions of a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for child sex abuse claims.”
In her statement regarding her decision in the Romeo and Juliet lawsuit, judge Alison Mackenzie said, “Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of law to be held to be conclusively illegal…Plaintiffs’ argument on the subject is limited to cherry-picked language from federal and state statutes without offering any authority regarding the interpretation or application of those statutory provisions to purported works of artistic merit, such as the award-winning film at issue here.
In her statement regarding her decision in the Romeo and Juliet lawsuit, judge Alison Mackenzie said, “Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of law to be held to be conclusively illegal…Plaintiffs’ argument on the subject is limited to cherry-picked language from federal and state statutes without offering any authority regarding the interpretation or application of those statutory provisions to purported works of artistic merit, such as the award-winning film at issue here.
- 5/28/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Los Angeles County judge Alison Mackenzie confirmed she would grant Paramount Pictures’ motion to throw out a lawsuit over a nude scene in the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, citing the First Amendment.
Earlier this year, lead actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting sued Paramount for sexual exploitation and child abuse over the use of nude footage in the movie, which was captured when they were 15 and 16, respectively. In the suit, the actors claimed that their consent was violated by the film’s director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019.
In January...
Earlier this year, lead actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting sued Paramount for sexual exploitation and child abuse over the use of nude footage in the movie, which was captured when they were 15 and 16, respectively. In the suit, the actors claimed that their consent was violated by the film’s director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019.
In January...
- 5/26/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
A judge has granted Paramount Pictures’ motion for dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, the stars of a 1968 film adaptation of “Romeo & Juliet” who claim they were coerced by director Franco Zeffirelli into performing a nude scene as teenagers.
In a tentative ruling filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Alison Mackenzie ruled that the plaintiffs’ case did not sufficiently prove that the nude scene amounted to “child pornography” and therefore overrode the film’s First Amendment protections as an artistic work. While a new California law lifted the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims, the judge said that the plaintiffs did not comply with the provisions required for such claims under that law.
In a statement sent to TheWrap, Hussey and Whiting’s attorney Solomon Gresen is looking into a potential appeal of the case and is also planning to...
In a tentative ruling filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Alison Mackenzie ruled that the plaintiffs’ case did not sufficiently prove that the nude scene amounted to “child pornography” and therefore overrode the film’s First Amendment protections as an artistic work. While a new California law lifted the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims, the judge said that the plaintiffs did not comply with the provisions required for such claims under that law.
In a statement sent to TheWrap, Hussey and Whiting’s attorney Solomon Gresen is looking into a potential appeal of the case and is also planning to...
- 5/25/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
‘Romeo & Juliet’ $100M Sex Abuse Suit Is “Gross Mischaracterization” & Will Be Dismissed, Judge Says
“Thus with a kiss I die,” wrote William Shakespeare in Romeo & Juliet, and thus echoed a Los Angeles judge today over the alleged sexual abuse and negligence lawsuit from the stars of Franco Zeffirelli Oscar-nominated 1968 adaptation of the doomed lovers play.
Stating that the $100 million in damages action against Paramount Pictures from Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting contains a “gross mischaracterization” of the bedroom scenes in question from the film and citing the First Amendment, Judge Alison Mackenzie put forth a tentative ruling to dismiss the case.
“Defendant’s special motion to strike Plaintiffs’ entire Complaint …is Granted as each cause of action asserted therein arises from protected activity and Plaintiffs have failed to show a probability of success on the merits of those claims,” she wrote Thursday of Paramount’s (successful) attempt to have the matter tossed under California’s anti-slapp laws.
Simultaneously, making short work of the...
Stating that the $100 million in damages action against Paramount Pictures from Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting contains a “gross mischaracterization” of the bedroom scenes in question from the film and citing the First Amendment, Judge Alison Mackenzie put forth a tentative ruling to dismiss the case.
“Defendant’s special motion to strike Plaintiffs’ entire Complaint …is Granted as each cause of action asserted therein arises from protected activity and Plaintiffs have failed to show a probability of success on the merits of those claims,” she wrote Thursday of Paramount’s (successful) attempt to have the matter tossed under California’s anti-slapp laws.
Simultaneously, making short work of the...
- 5/25/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
The stars of Franco Zeffirelli’s Oscar-winning film have tentatively lost their battle to receive damages over a sex scene filmed when they were teenagers
A California judge has signalled she will throw out a child abuse lawsuit put forward by the two lead actors from the 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Last December, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who were teenagers when making Franco Zeffirelli’s Oscar-winning film, accused Paramount of sexual exploitation over a nude scene they allege was insisted upon after being told it wouldn’t take place.
A California judge has signalled she will throw out a child abuse lawsuit put forward by the two lead actors from the 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Last December, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who were teenagers when making Franco Zeffirelli’s Oscar-winning film, accused Paramount of sexual exploitation over a nude scene they allege was insisted upon after being told it wouldn’t take place.
- 5/25/2023
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Paramount won’t have to face a lawsuit accusing the studio of sexual abuse over a nude scene in the 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie signaled on Thursday that she’ll dismiss the suit, finding claims that the movie depicts sexual acts are a “gross mischaracterization” of the scene. She said in a tentative ruling that the claims “arise from protected activity” under the First Amendment.
Actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, 16 and 17 respectively when the film was shot, starred in the movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The suit seeking $500 million, which was filed under a California law that suspends the window to file a complaint for childhood sexual assault, revolves around a bedroom scene that briefly shows Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts. The actors accused Zeffirelli of pressuring them into performing nude scenes despite previously telling them that they...
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie signaled on Thursday that she’ll dismiss the suit, finding claims that the movie depicts sexual acts are a “gross mischaracterization” of the scene. She said in a tentative ruling that the claims “arise from protected activity” under the First Amendment.
Actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, 16 and 17 respectively when the film was shot, starred in the movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The suit seeking $500 million, which was filed under a California law that suspends the window to file a complaint for childhood sexual assault, revolves around a bedroom scene that briefly shows Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts. The actors accused Zeffirelli of pressuring them into performing nude scenes despite previously telling them that they...
- 5/25/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A judge on Thursday said she will throw out a lawsuit over a nude scene in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” after finding that the film is protected by the First Amendment.
The stars of the film, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, filed the suit in December, alleging that they were coerced by director Franco Zeffirelli into performing nude in the film’s bedroom scene. Hussey was 16 at the time of filming; Whiting was 17.
Judge Alison Mackenzie granted Paramount’s motion to throw out the suit, finding that the plaintiffs had not complied with the provisions of a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for child sex abuse claims.
Mackenzie also rejected the plaintiffs’ argument that the nude scene amounted to “child pornography.”
“Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of...
The stars of the film, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, filed the suit in December, alleging that they were coerced by director Franco Zeffirelli into performing nude in the film’s bedroom scene. Hussey was 16 at the time of filming; Whiting was 17.
Judge Alison Mackenzie granted Paramount’s motion to throw out the suit, finding that the plaintiffs had not complied with the provisions of a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for child sex abuse claims.
Mackenzie also rejected the plaintiffs’ argument that the nude scene amounted to “child pornography.”
“Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of...
- 5/25/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Belgian directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains and veteran Marco Bellocchio’s Exterior Night topped the 68th edition of Italy’s David di Donatello Awards on Wednesday evening.
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk,...
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Paramount has filed a motion to throw out a lawsuit over the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” arguing that a nude scene with underage actors does not amount to “childhood sexual assault.”
Actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were 16 and 17 when they starred in the movie, which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film’s famous bedroom scene includes a lingering shot of Whiting’s buttocks and a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts.
The actors, now in their 70s, filed a $500 million suit in December, alleging that Zeffirelli pressured them into performing in the nude. They accused Paramount, the distributor, of profiting from their sexual exploitation.
Paramount’s lawyers filed a motion on Monday, arguing that the suit is doomed to fail for a host of reasons. Among other things, the suit argues that the actors cannot file suit under a California law that suspends the statute of limitations for child sexual assault,...
Actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were 16 and 17 when they starred in the movie, which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film’s famous bedroom scene includes a lingering shot of Whiting’s buttocks and a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts.
The actors, now in their 70s, filed a $500 million suit in December, alleging that Zeffirelli pressured them into performing in the nude. They accused Paramount, the distributor, of profiting from their sexual exploitation.
Paramount’s lawyers filed a motion on Monday, arguing that the suit is doomed to fail for a host of reasons. Among other things, the suit argues that the actors cannot file suit under a California law that suspends the statute of limitations for child sexual assault,...
- 5/5/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Brooke Sheilds takes control of the narrative by sharing her story in her own words in the Hulu documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, from director Lana Wilson.
From Matador Content and BedBy8 for ABC News Studio, the film follows Shields from her early years as a blossoming model and actress to her present day as a powerful woman, mother, wife and performer with a career spanning more than four decades. It also touches on her complicated relationship with her mother and manager Teri Shields and how working on early projects including Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby, Randal Kleiser’s The Blue Lagoon and Franco Zeffirelli’s Endless Love — all before age 16 — left her vulnerable to public criticism and unwanted attention from adult men.
Now, Shields is ready to tell her story in her own words.
“It was the right time, and it also felt very good to finally — you know,...
From Matador Content and BedBy8 for ABC News Studio, the film follows Shields from her early years as a blossoming model and actress to her present day as a powerful woman, mother, wife and performer with a career spanning more than four decades. It also touches on her complicated relationship with her mother and manager Teri Shields and how working on early projects including Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby, Randal Kleiser’s The Blue Lagoon and Franco Zeffirelli’s Endless Love — all before age 16 — left her vulnerable to public criticism and unwanted attention from adult men.
Now, Shields is ready to tell her story in her own words.
“It was the right time, and it also felt very good to finally — you know,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we take a look at an Oscars category from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winner stands the test of time.)
If you're ranking the most important years of American cinema, it's pretty difficult not to slot 1967 at number one. That year brought forth a major cultural and artistic shift in the medium, forever changing what American audiences thought cinema could be. This was the arrival of the New Hollywood and featured films that did more than just push the boundaries of mature subject matter, sex, violence, and politics on screen. They destroyed them. The two pillars of the year were Arthur Penn's bloody, sexy "Bonnie and Clyde" and Mike Nichols' coming-of-age dramedy "The Graduate," each becoming two of the three highest-grossing films of the year.
When the 1968 Oscars ceremony rolled around, both films found themselves in the best picture category.
If you're ranking the most important years of American cinema, it's pretty difficult not to slot 1967 at number one. That year brought forth a major cultural and artistic shift in the medium, forever changing what American audiences thought cinema could be. This was the arrival of the New Hollywood and featured films that did more than just push the boundaries of mature subject matter, sex, violence, and politics on screen. They destroyed them. The two pillars of the year were Arthur Penn's bloody, sexy "Bonnie and Clyde" and Mike Nichols' coming-of-age dramedy "The Graduate," each becoming two of the three highest-grossing films of the year.
When the 1968 Oscars ceremony rolled around, both films found themselves in the best picture category.
- 4/23/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Brooke Shields revealed on “The Drew Barrymore Show” that she received a phone call from “The Blue Lagoon” director Randal Kleiser following the release of her new Hulu documentary “Pretty Baby.” In the documentary, the supermodel and actor called out “The Blue Lagoon” for exploiting her sexual awakening when she was just 14 years old.
“They wanted to make it a reality show,” Shields says in the documentary about “The Blue Lagoon” and other films she made as a teen actor. “They wanted to sell my actual sexual awakening. The irony was, I wasn’t in touch with any of my own sexuality.”
“The Blue Lagoon” stars Shields opposite Christopher Atkins. The two actors play teens stranded on a tropical island who experience puberty together and fall in love. The film is one of many that Shields calls out in the documentary for exploiting her at such a young age. Other...
“They wanted to make it a reality show,” Shields says in the documentary about “The Blue Lagoon” and other films she made as a teen actor. “They wanted to sell my actual sexual awakening. The irony was, I wasn’t in touch with any of my own sexuality.”
“The Blue Lagoon” stars Shields opposite Christopher Atkins. The two actors play teens stranded on a tropical island who experience puberty together and fall in love. The film is one of many that Shields calls out in the documentary for exploiting her at such a young age. Other...
- 4/11/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” a documentary about Brooke Shields and the sexual objectification she endured as a child actor, arrives on Hulu today.
In the two-part documentary, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the actor and model opens up for the first time about her earliest experiences in Hollywood. The film tracks her rise as a child advertising model to her sexualization in movies, starting at age 12, in “Pretty Baby” (1978), and then at 15, in “The Blue Lagoon” (1980).
“I spent my life owing people things and doing whatever they wanted,” Shields says in a new teaser dropped Wednesday morning. “I finally asked myself, ‘What will I be if I don’t allow that anymore?'”
Shields’ experience with older men on set as a child is a common theme in her recollections.
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” a documentary about Brooke Shields and the sexual objectification she endured as a child actor, arrives on Hulu today.
In the two-part documentary, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the actor and model opens up for the first time about her earliest experiences in Hollywood. The film tracks her rise as a child advertising model to her sexualization in movies, starting at age 12, in “Pretty Baby” (1978), and then at 15, in “The Blue Lagoon” (1980).
“I spent my life owing people things and doing whatever they wanted,” Shields says in a new teaser dropped Wednesday morning. “I finally asked myself, ‘What will I be if I don’t allow that anymore?'”
Shields’ experience with older men on set as a child is a common theme in her recollections.
- 4/3/2023
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety Film + TV
Using the genre trappings of the superhero origin story, Amazon’s new drama The Power explores society’s preoccupation with and fear of pubescent girls. The series, which I’m not actually reviewing here, delves into how vast corners of the law and organized religion have been unconsciously or very consciously advanced to deny those girls agency. In the case of The Power, that agency arrives not in the form of legislation or a Supreme Court verdict, but as an evolutionary ability to generate and wield electricity. The patriarchy is in for a shock!
If you prefer this topic to be treated with more text and less subtext, Lana Wilson’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields moves to Hulu after a January premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The two-part documentary — 136 minutes in total, but surely better suited to have been edited into a 120-minute feature — uses Shields’ alternately unsettling and...
If you prefer this topic to be treated with more text and less subtext, Lana Wilson’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields moves to Hulu after a January premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The two-part documentary — 136 minutes in total, but surely better suited to have been edited into a 120-minute feature — uses Shields’ alternately unsettling and...
- 3/31/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As one of the most popular songs of the 1980s, just about everyone has heard “Endless Love” with Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. It has been one of the most-requested songs at weddings and was also famously included in the hit movie Happy Gilmore. The sweet lyrics and gentle melody are enough to melt anyone’s heart. We can only imagine the countless number of couples who fell in love while the song was playing.
However, many music fans may not know that while the song has made millions of people insanely happy over the past four decades, it didn’t have the most joyful beginning. Apparently, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross didn’t get along while recording “Endless Love.”
How did ‘Endless Love come to be?
It is a song that people can listen to time and again. However, “Endless Love” has an interesting backstory.
According to Stereogum, singer...
However, many music fans may not know that while the song has made millions of people insanely happy over the past four decades, it didn’t have the most joyful beginning. Apparently, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross didn’t get along while recording “Endless Love.”
How did ‘Endless Love come to be?
It is a song that people can listen to time and again. However, “Endless Love” has an interesting backstory.
According to Stereogum, singer...
- 3/24/2023
- by Lisa Geiger
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Prior to becoming an actor, Giancarlo Giannini, who on March 6 will be getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, studied electronic engineering, a skill he’s been known to put to good use even on movie sets.
“I was meant to start working on the first artificial satellites, or on the first computers at Ibm,” the Italian film and theater thesp recalls. But then Giannini enrolled in acting school and soon was given major roles, first by Franco Zeffirelli and then by Lina Wertmüller, with whom he went on to make nine movies that brought them both international fame.
“I owe it to Lina that I will be getting the star. The only other Italian actor who has one is Rudolph Valentino,” he notes.
Before traveling to Los Angeles, Giannini spoke to Variety about his career journey and what he learned from Anna Magnani, Marlon Brando and Marcello Mastroianni.
“I was meant to start working on the first artificial satellites, or on the first computers at Ibm,” the Italian film and theater thesp recalls. But then Giannini enrolled in acting school and soon was given major roles, first by Franco Zeffirelli and then by Lina Wertmüller, with whom he went on to make nine movies that brought them both international fame.
“I owe it to Lina that I will be getting the star. The only other Italian actor who has one is Rudolph Valentino,” he notes.
Before traveling to Los Angeles, Giannini spoke to Variety about his career journey and what he learned from Anna Magnani, Marlon Brando and Marcello Mastroianni.
- 3/2/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
From The Video Archives Podcast, writer/director Roger Avary and writer/producer Gala Avary discuss a few of their favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
- 2/28/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Franco Zeffirelli apprenticed to Luchino Visconti, stage directed operas and directed several movie hits, the biggest of which was this exuberant, attractive Shakespeare adaptation, filmed like an opera with sumptuous sets and sunswept Italian locations. The novelty for 1968 was casting the Bard’s star-crossed young lovers with actual teenagers. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are attractive kids directed to give spirited performances; the critics may have had mixed reactions but the public received the film well. If memory serves, Criterion’s new remaster looks better than Paramount’s original release prints.
Romeo and Juliet
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1171
1968 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 138 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date February 14, 2023 / 39.95
Starring: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Milo O’Shea, Pat Heywood, Robert Stephens, Michael York, Bruce Robinson, Paul Hardwick, Natasha Parry, Antonio Pierfederici, Esmeralda Ruspoli, Roberto Bisacco, Roy Holder, Keith Skinner, Dyson Lovell, Richard Warwick, Laurence Olivier.
Cinematography: Pasquelino De...
Romeo and Juliet
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1171
1968 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 138 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date February 14, 2023 / 39.95
Starring: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Milo O’Shea, Pat Heywood, Robert Stephens, Michael York, Bruce Robinson, Paul Hardwick, Natasha Parry, Antonio Pierfederici, Esmeralda Ruspoli, Roberto Bisacco, Roy Holder, Keith Skinner, Dyson Lovell, Richard Warwick, Laurence Olivier.
Cinematography: Pasquelino De...
- 2/21/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
For most people, sex is a private act; sex scenes in movies and TV shows bring it into the light. That creates a tension often borne by the actors and, as Penn Badgley recently revealed, he felt uncomfortable doing what he saw as too many sex scenes in Netflix’s “You.” In a recent interview with Variety, he delved further: “That aspect of Hollywood has always been very disturbing to me — and that aspect of the job, that mercurial boundary — has always been something that I actually don’t want to play with at all…. It’s important to me in my real life to not have them.”
Badgley’s choice should be respected: Doing sex scenes shouldn’t a prerequisite for anyone’s acting career. However, it’s too easy to focus on the generalities of whether sex scenes are necessary, rather than the nuance: As sexual identity becomes a more expansive conversation,...
Badgley’s choice should be respected: Doing sex scenes shouldn’t a prerequisite for anyone’s acting career. However, it’s too easy to focus on the generalities of whether sex scenes are necessary, rather than the nuance: As sexual identity becomes a more expansive conversation,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In her forthcoming documentary about her life and long career, Brooke Shields describes in detail an assault she experienced at the hands of somebody she terms “an industry insider”.
The actress and author tells how she was in her early 20s when she met the man – someone she considered a friend – for dinner, then went to his hotel room to order a cab home while he left the room. Soon, she describes, he returned to the room where he attacked her.
“He was right on me. It was just like wrestling,” she says, and adds that, at the time, she blamed herself for drinking wine and going to his room.
She recounts the story in the ABC News/Hulu Lana Wilson-directed docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields that premiered at Sundance. Pretty Baby – named after one of her films – which explores the way she became an object of sexual desire...
The actress and author tells how she was in her early 20s when she met the man – someone she considered a friend – for dinner, then went to his hotel room to order a cab home while he left the room. Soon, she describes, he returned to the room where he attacked her.
“He was right on me. It was just like wrestling,” she says, and adds that, at the time, she blamed herself for drinking wine and going to his room.
She recounts the story in the ABC News/Hulu Lana Wilson-directed docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields that premiered at Sundance. Pretty Baby – named after one of her films – which explores the way she became an object of sexual desire...
- 2/4/2023
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Brooke Shields became a star and attracted mild controversy in this show, director Louis Malle’s first American production. Co-writer & producer Polly Platt and cinematographer Sven Nykvist collaborated on Malle’s fascinating look at life in a New Orleans brothel early in the 20th century. Prostitute Susan Sarandon raises two children in the upscale bawdy house, and art photographer Keith Carradine becomes an artist in residence. It’s a non-moralizing portrait of a bygone lifestyle. The handsome remastered release co-stars Diana Scarwid and Barbara Steele — and comes with a new interview with Brooke Shields.
Pretty Baby
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 174
1978 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date November 4, 2022 / Available from / £
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Keith Carradine, Brooke Shields, Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Gerrit Graham, Matthew Anton, Mae Mercer, Diana Scarwid, Barbara Steele.
Cinematography: Sven Nykvist
Production Designer: Trevor Williams
Costume Supervisor: Mina Mittelman
Film Editor: Suzanne Fenn, supervisor Suzanne Baron
Music adapted by Jerry Wexler,...
Pretty Baby
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 174
1978 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date November 4, 2022 / Available from / £
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Keith Carradine, Brooke Shields, Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Gerrit Graham, Matthew Anton, Mae Mercer, Diana Scarwid, Barbara Steele.
Cinematography: Sven Nykvist
Production Designer: Trevor Williams
Costume Supervisor: Mina Mittelman
Film Editor: Suzanne Fenn, supervisor Suzanne Baron
Music adapted by Jerry Wexler,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Similar to the stars of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film Romeo & Juliet, who are suing Paramount for 100M+ for alleged sexual abuse and more, Brooke Shields also had an unsettling experience with the 2x Oscar nominated filmmaker during the production of Endless Love.
She details the incident in the latest ABC News/Hulu Lana Wilson-directed docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields that premiered at Sundance.
Interspliced with footage from a 1981 TV interview, the late Zeffirelli, sitting next to the then 16-year-old actress, details how he twisted Shields’ toe during a sex scene; the pic about a two lovestruck teens, whose parents are bitterly against their romance. The movie was one of a trio of R-rated sex-themed summer pics that Shields starred in, the previous ones being 1978’s Pretty Baby and 1980’s Blue Lagoon.
In the Hulu doc, Shields confesses, “The physicality and the exploration of sexuality felt really dangerous to me,...
She details the incident in the latest ABC News/Hulu Lana Wilson-directed docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields that premiered at Sundance.
Interspliced with footage from a 1981 TV interview, the late Zeffirelli, sitting next to the then 16-year-old actress, details how he twisted Shields’ toe during a sex scene; the pic about a two lovestruck teens, whose parents are bitterly against their romance. The movie was one of a trio of R-rated sex-themed summer pics that Shields starred in, the previous ones being 1978’s Pretty Baby and 1980’s Blue Lagoon.
In the Hulu doc, Shields confesses, “The physicality and the exploration of sexuality felt really dangerous to me,...
- 1/22/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
To say that Brooke Shields was objectified during her early years would be the understatement of the century. It is hard to fathom how any of it happened, or how anyone thought it was Ok, through a contemporary lens — nude modeling at ten years old, branded “the world’s youngest sex symbol” at 12, appearing naked in a major Hollywood motion picture at 15. That she was able to gain any semblance of normalcy, let alone graduate Princeton and become a powerful voice for mothers everywhere, is extraordinary.
“You know, my professional...
“You know, my professional...
- 1/21/2023
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
Our past returns to haunt us, again and again, through documentary and documentary, until every woman mistreated by time is resurrected to have her say. It happened with Britney Spears, with Janet Jackson, with Billie Holiday and others. At the helm of this latest retrospective is Brooke Shields, in Lana Wilson’s new documentary, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.”
Premiering at Sundance and coming to Hulu later this year, the latest film from the director of “Miss Americana” places Shields’s multi-hyphenate career — model and actress, yes, but writer and advocate too — on display for nearly two and a half hours, eager to prove she is much more than a tabloid talking point.
Wilson’s film is named for Louis Malle’s “Pretty Baby,” in which Shields starred as a 12-year-old prostitute in this historical drama written by Polly Platt. Malle’s film was the urtext through which Shields was often...
Premiering at Sundance and coming to Hulu later this year, the latest film from the director of “Miss Americana” places Shields’s multi-hyphenate career — model and actress, yes, but writer and advocate too — on display for nearly two and a half hours, eager to prove she is much more than a tabloid talking point.
Wilson’s film is named for Louis Malle’s “Pretty Baby,” in which Shields starred as a 12-year-old prostitute in this historical drama written by Polly Platt. Malle’s film was the urtext through which Shields was often...
- 1/21/2023
- by Fran Hoepfner
- The Wrap
As Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing looms and Danny Masterson moves toward a retrial, a new phase in #Metoo-era litigation is underway in New York as a result of the state’s Adult Survivors Act — and a case involving former president Donald Trump is one of the first to test its limits.
The Asa was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on May 24, and effectively suspends time constraints on claims involving sex offenses for a one year period that began on Nov. 24. The lookback window in the Asa is similar to that in the state’s Child Victims Act, which was first signed into law on Feb. 14, 2019 and resulted in more than 10,000 lawsuits.
Gibson Dunn litigator Brian Ascher notes that courts “tend to get a bunch right away and then a lot right at the end of the period.”
That’s what happened just before the New Year in California, as a...
The Asa was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on May 24, and effectively suspends time constraints on claims involving sex offenses for a one year period that began on Nov. 24. The lookback window in the Asa is similar to that in the state’s Child Victims Act, which was first signed into law on Feb. 14, 2019 and resulted in more than 10,000 lawsuits.
Gibson Dunn litigator Brian Ascher notes that courts “tend to get a bunch right away and then a lot right at the end of the period.”
That’s what happened just before the New Year in California, as a...
- 1/14/2023
- by Ashley Cullins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey rewrote a piece of film history on Dec. 30, when they filed a lawsuit alleging they were sexually exploited in the 1968 film version of “Romeo and Juliet.”
The actors, now 72 and 71, accuse the late director Franco Zeffirelli of coercing them into performing a bedroom scene in the nude, after first promising that they could wear flesh-colored underwear. They also claim that Zeffirelli lied to them when he said that nude images would not be shown.
In fact, the camera lingers on Whiting’s buttocks, and there is a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts. She was 16 and he was 17 at the time. (Their complaint misstated their ages as 15 and 16.)
A studio would never film such a scene today with underage actors, several industry experts say, though doing so is not explicitly forbidden by laws or union rules.
“No studio would touch this with a 10-foot pole,...
The actors, now 72 and 71, accuse the late director Franco Zeffirelli of coercing them into performing a bedroom scene in the nude, after first promising that they could wear flesh-colored underwear. They also claim that Zeffirelli lied to them when he said that nude images would not be shown.
In fact, the camera lingers on Whiting’s buttocks, and there is a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts. She was 16 and he was 17 at the time. (Their complaint misstated their ages as 15 and 16.)
A studio would never film such a scene today with underage actors, several industry experts say, though doing so is not explicitly forbidden by laws or union rules.
“No studio would touch this with a 10-foot pole,...
- 1/11/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
From Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver to Brooke Shields in The Blue Lagoon, are films that used teen actors for sexual roles heading for a reckoning? As Paramount is sued over Romeo and Juliet, we look at the scenes cinema and TV might want to forget
Spoiler alert: Romeo and Juliet does not have a happy ending. But Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the Shakespeare play did – at least until recently. The 1968 movie was a huge commercial success and became a secondary school fixture. Its stars, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, even briefly dated – a dream come true publicity-wise. But now it has emerged that the pair are suing the studio, Paramount, for 500m over Zeffirelli’s handling of a scene in which both actors, then 16 and 17, briefly appeared partially naked. According to the complaint, the actors “were told by Mr Zeffirelli that they must act in the nude or...
Spoiler alert: Romeo and Juliet does not have a happy ending. But Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the Shakespeare play did – at least until recently. The 1968 movie was a huge commercial success and became a secondary school fixture. Its stars, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, even briefly dated – a dream come true publicity-wise. But now it has emerged that the pair are suing the studio, Paramount, for 500m over Zeffirelli’s handling of a scene in which both actors, then 16 and 17, briefly appeared partially naked. According to the complaint, the actors “were told by Mr Zeffirelli that they must act in the nude or...
- 1/10/2023
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Pippo Zeffirelli, the son of the late Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, has publicly criticized the two lead actors of his father’s 1968 Shakespeare adaptation Romeo and Juliet for their decision to sue the film’s producer, Paramount Pictures, for child abuse over a nude scene in the movie.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who were 15 and 16, respectively, when they shot the film, allege that Zeffirelli coerced them into doing a bedroom scene in the nude after they had originally agreed to wear flesh-colored body suits. The scene, which included images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts, was highly controversial at the time.
Hussey and Whiting, both now in their 70s, recently filed a lawsuit in Santa Monica Superior Court, accusing Paramount of sexually exploiting them and distributing nude images of adolescent children. They claim the director, who died in 2019, warned them that “the film would fail” if...
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who were 15 and 16, respectively, when they shot the film, allege that Zeffirelli coerced them into doing a bedroom scene in the nude after they had originally agreed to wear flesh-colored body suits. The scene, which included images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts, was highly controversial at the time.
Hussey and Whiting, both now in their 70s, recently filed a lawsuit in Santa Monica Superior Court, accusing Paramount of sexually exploiting them and distributing nude images of adolescent children. They claim the director, who died in 2019, warned them that “the film would fail” if...
- 1/9/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A lawsuit filed by “Romeo and Juliet” actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, accusing Paramount of sexually exploiting them as teenagers starring in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film, is drawing ire from Italy’s Franco Zeffirelli Foundation.
The foundation’s president, Pippo Zeffirelli, who is the late director’s adoptive son, over the weekend reacted with disdain to the suit filed in a Santa Monica court last week, which claims that Zeffirelli tricked the actors while shooting a bedroom scene that includes images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts. The “Romeo and Juliet” actors at the time were, respectively, 16 and 15 years old. The film was a hit and nominated for four Academy Awards.
“It is embarrassing to hear that, today, 55 years after filming, two elderly actors who owe their notoriety essentially to this film wake up to declare that they have suffered an abuse that has caused them...
The foundation’s president, Pippo Zeffirelli, who is the late director’s adoptive son, over the weekend reacted with disdain to the suit filed in a Santa Monica court last week, which claims that Zeffirelli tricked the actors while shooting a bedroom scene that includes images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts. The “Romeo and Juliet” actors at the time were, respectively, 16 and 15 years old. The film was a hit and nominated for four Academy Awards.
“It is embarrassing to hear that, today, 55 years after filming, two elderly actors who owe their notoriety essentially to this film wake up to declare that they have suffered an abuse that has caused them...
- 1/9/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Franco Zeffirelli’s son Pippo has hit out at the sexual exploitation lawsuit filed by Romeo and Juliet actors Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.
The lawsuit filed against Paramount accuses the production company of sexual harassment, fraud, sexual abuse, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
It stems from a Romeo and Juliet nude scene involving Whiting and Hussey, allegedly filmed while they were minors.
The complaint also alleges that late director Franco told the lead actors that the 1968 film wouldn’t include nudity, but ended up going back on his word.
In an interview with The Guardian, Zeffirelli’s son Pippo called the lawsuit “embarrassing” and said that the nude scene at the center of the complaint is “far from pornographic”.
“It is embarrassing to hear that today, 55 years after filming, two elderly actors who owe their notoriety essentially to this film wake up to declare that they have suffered...
The lawsuit filed against Paramount accuses the production company of sexual harassment, fraud, sexual abuse, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
It stems from a Romeo and Juliet nude scene involving Whiting and Hussey, allegedly filmed while they were minors.
The complaint also alleges that late director Franco told the lead actors that the 1968 film wouldn’t include nudity, but ended up going back on his word.
In an interview with The Guardian, Zeffirelli’s son Pippo called the lawsuit “embarrassing” and said that the nude scene at the center of the complaint is “far from pornographic”.
“It is embarrassing to hear that today, 55 years after filming, two elderly actors who owe their notoriety essentially to this film wake up to declare that they have suffered...
- 1/9/2023
- by Peony Hirwani
- The Independent - Film
Pippo Zeffirelli, son of Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli, is criticizing the lawsuit brought by that film’s stars, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting.
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The actors are alleging sexual exploitation and child abuse in a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over a famous nude scene in the 1968 Zeffirelli film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play.
Hussey and Whiting, now 71 and 72, earlier this week filed suit against Paramount. They alleged that Franco Zeffirelli violated their consent by filming them nude without their knowledge. Hussey...
Related Story Paramount Hit With 100M Sexual Abuse Suit By Stars Of 1968‘s ’Romeo & Juliet' Movie Related Story 'Election' Sequel 'Tracy Flick Can't Win' In Works For Paramount+; Reese Witherspoon To Produce And Return As Title Character, With Alexander Payne Directing Related Story 'Top Gun: Maverick's Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Miles Teller & Jennifer Connelly On Training And Shooting "Everything For Real" – Contenders L.A.
The actors are alleging sexual exploitation and child abuse in a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over a famous nude scene in the 1968 Zeffirelli film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play.
Hussey and Whiting, now 71 and 72, earlier this week filed suit against Paramount. They alleged that Franco Zeffirelli violated their consent by filming them nude without their knowledge. Hussey...
- 1/8/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The son of Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli has criticized that film’s stars Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting after the actors filed a sexual exploitation and child abuse lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over a nude scene in the 1968 big screen adaptation.
Earlier this week, Hussey and Whiting, now 71 and 72, sued Paramount, claiming that Zeffirelli — who died in 2019 — violated their consent by filming them nude without their knowledge; Hussey and Whiting were 15 and 16 years old at the time of shooting.
“What they were told and what went on were two different things,...
Earlier this week, Hussey and Whiting, now 71 and 72, sued Paramount, claiming that Zeffirelli — who died in 2019 — violated their consent by filming them nude without their knowledge; Hussey and Whiting were 15 and 16 years old at the time of shooting.
“What they were told and what went on were two different things,...
- 1/8/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Two former child movie stars are seeking closure and not “vengeance” in a 500,000 lawsuit for nude scenes they say they were forced to perform by celebrated director Franco Zeffirelli, their manager has claimed.
Olivia Hussey, was just 15, and Leonard Whiting 16, back in 1968 when they featured in Romeo and Juliet, directed by the late Italian filmmaker, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
In a lawsuit alleging they were the unknowing victims of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud, the British pair claim Zeffirelli told them they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in scenes set in a bedroom.
But on the morning of filming, the young actors were told they would be protected only by flesh-coloured make up, though the film would be shot from such an angle as not to reveal their nudity.
“Defendants were dishonest and secretly filmed the nude or partially nude minor children without their knowledge, in violation of the...
Olivia Hussey, was just 15, and Leonard Whiting 16, back in 1968 when they featured in Romeo and Juliet, directed by the late Italian filmmaker, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
In a lawsuit alleging they were the unknowing victims of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud, the British pair claim Zeffirelli told them they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in scenes set in a bedroom.
But on the morning of filming, the young actors were told they would be protected only by flesh-coloured make up, though the film would be shot from such an angle as not to reveal their nudity.
“Defendants were dishonest and secretly filmed the nude or partially nude minor children without their knowledge, in violation of the...
- 1/4/2023
- by Andrew Buncombe
- The Independent - Film
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