Exclusive: Aldis Hodge (Black Adam) and Lauren E. Banks (City on a Hill) are the latest additions to the cast of The Dutchman, the psychological thriller based on the Obie Award-winning play by Amiri Baraka, which began filming under a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement in September.
The actors join an ensemble that includes André Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz and Stephen McKinley Henderson, as we were first to tell you. Emmy nominee Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory) is directing from his screenplay written with filmmaker Qasim Basir.
Set on a New York subway, The Dutchman centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented at the...
The actors join an ensemble that includes André Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz and Stephen McKinley Henderson, as we were first to tell you. Emmy nominee Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory) is directing from his screenplay written with filmmaker Qasim Basir.
Set on a New York subway, The Dutchman centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented at the...
- 10/17/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: André Holland (Passing), Kate Mara (Black Mirror), Zazie Beetz (The Harder They Fall) and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Beau Is Afraid) are set to star in The Dutchman, a psychological thriller based on the Obie Award-winning play by Amiri Baraka that has landed a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement.
Directing from his script written with filmmaker Qasim Basir is Andre Gaines, the Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate behind Showtime’s 2021 documentary The One and Only Dick Gregory. Production kicks off in New York City September 25th, putting a group of 150 or so back to work.
Set on a New York subway, The Dutchman centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented...
Directing from his script written with filmmaker Qasim Basir is Andre Gaines, the Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate behind Showtime’s 2021 documentary The One and Only Dick Gregory. Production kicks off in New York City September 25th, putting a group of 150 or so back to work.
Set on a New York subway, The Dutchman centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented...
- 9/18/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Biography films are a fascinating genre that depict the lives of real people, often with dramatic and artistic flair. They can inspire us, educate us, entertain us, and challenge us to think about the world in new ways. Some of the most acclaimed and influential films of all time belong to this genre, and they span across different eras, cultures, and themes.
In this article, we will rank the 10 best biography films of all time, after the release of Oppenheimer in 2023. Oppenheimer is a biographical film directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American scientist who led the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The film has been praised for its stunning cinematography, complex narrative, and powerful performances. It is widely considered to be one of the best films of 2023, and a masterpiece of biographical cinema.
But what are the other films...
In this article, we will rank the 10 best biography films of all time, after the release of Oppenheimer in 2023. Oppenheimer is a biographical film directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American scientist who led the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The film has been praised for its stunning cinematography, complex narrative, and powerful performances. It is widely considered to be one of the best films of 2023, and a masterpiece of biographical cinema.
But what are the other films...
- 7/28/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
Laird Koenig, who wrote “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane,” died in Santa Barbara on June 30, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s collaborator Peter L. Dixon, told Variety. He was 95.
Koenig was an American author and screenwriter whose novel was adapted into the 1976 Jodie Foster-led horror movie “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.”
He was born on Sept. 14, 1927, in Seattle, and would go on to attend the University of Washington. Koenig worked in advertising before being approached by Peter L. Dixon, whom he would collaborate with extensively throughout his career, and went on to write for the adventure television series “Flipper.”
Koenig also wrote the screenplay for “The Cat” which starred Roger Perry, and the 1969 production of “The Dozens” which starred Al Freeman Jr., Morgan Freeman and Paula Kelly.
He notably wrote the screenplay for several Terence Young Films, including “Red Sun,” which starred Charles Bronson,...
Koenig was an American author and screenwriter whose novel was adapted into the 1976 Jodie Foster-led horror movie “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.”
He was born on Sept. 14, 1927, in Seattle, and would go on to attend the University of Washington. Koenig worked in advertising before being approached by Peter L. Dixon, whom he would collaborate with extensively throughout his career, and went on to write for the adventure television series “Flipper.”
Koenig also wrote the screenplay for “The Cat” which starred Roger Perry, and the 1969 production of “The Dozens” which starred Al Freeman Jr., Morgan Freeman and Paula Kelly.
He notably wrote the screenplay for several Terence Young Films, including “Red Sun,” which starred Charles Bronson,...
- 7/17/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Laird Koenig, who adapted his novel for the screenplay to the 1976 cult film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, a controversial horror thriller starring a teenage Jodie Foster, has died. He was 95.
Koenig died June 30 of natural causes in Santa Barbara, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s frequent writing partner, Peter L. Dixon, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Koenig also received a writing credit on three films directed by Terence Young: Red Sun (1971), starring Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon and Ursula Andress; Bloodline (1979), starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara and James Mason; and Inchon (1981), starring Gazzara, Laurence Olivier and Jacqueline Bisset.
His 1970 novel The Children Are Watching, co-written with Dixon, was turned into the French film Attention Les Enfants Regardent (1978), starring Delon.
Taken from his 1974 novel — his first as a solo author — The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane starred Foster as a 13-year-old who lives...
Koenig died June 30 of natural causes in Santa Barbara, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s frequent writing partner, Peter L. Dixon, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Koenig also received a writing credit on three films directed by Terence Young: Red Sun (1971), starring Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon and Ursula Andress; Bloodline (1979), starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara and James Mason; and Inchon (1981), starring Gazzara, Laurence Olivier and Jacqueline Bisset.
His 1970 novel The Children Are Watching, co-written with Dixon, was turned into the French film Attention Les Enfants Regardent (1978), starring Delon.
Taken from his 1974 novel — his first as a solo author — The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane starred Foster as a 13-year-old who lives...
- 7/17/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Die Hard is an unquestioned action masterpiece. Thanks to revelatory performances by both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, plus John McTiernan’s assured direction, Die Hard still has the power to awe and entertain even decades after its release. Few can say the same about the sequels, but what about the Die Hard prequel, The Detective?
Oh, you’ve never heard of a Die Hard prequel? Well, that could be because the 1968 Frank Sinatra vehicle The Detective is based on the 1966 novel by the same name, written by Roderick Thorp. And in 1979, Thorp published a sequel to The Detective called Nothing Lasts Forever, in which criminals led by a man called Gruber take control of a Los Angeles high-rise during a company party. Gruber even holds hostage the family member of a hero cop who must go rogue upstairs if he is going to thwart the terrorists. Also it’s Christmas time.
Oh, you’ve never heard of a Die Hard prequel? Well, that could be because the 1968 Frank Sinatra vehicle The Detective is based on the 1966 novel by the same name, written by Roderick Thorp. And in 1979, Thorp published a sequel to The Detective called Nothing Lasts Forever, in which criminals led by a man called Gruber take control of a Los Angeles high-rise during a company party. Gruber even holds hostage the family member of a hero cop who must go rogue upstairs if he is going to thwart the terrorists. Also it’s Christmas time.
- 7/4/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Phylicia Rashad, best known to audiences as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has been appointed dean of Howard University’s newly reestablished college of fine arts.
Howard University conducted a nationwide search before appointing Rashad, an alumna of the school. She will begin her new role on July 1 and will report to Provost Anthony K. Wutoh.
“It is an honor to welcome one of Howard’s acclaimed daughters back home to Alma Mater,” Wutoh said in a statement. “In this full circle moment, Ms. Phylicia Rashad will take the training and skills that she honed as a student at Howard and exuded in an outstanding performing career, and she will share those pearls of wisdom with the next generation of students in the College of Fine Arts. Her passion for the arts and student success makes her a perfect fit for this role.”
In an interview with Variety, Rashad...
Howard University conducted a nationwide search before appointing Rashad, an alumna of the school. She will begin her new role on July 1 and will report to Provost Anthony K. Wutoh.
“It is an honor to welcome one of Howard’s acclaimed daughters back home to Alma Mater,” Wutoh said in a statement. “In this full circle moment, Ms. Phylicia Rashad will take the training and skills that she honed as a student at Howard and exuded in an outstanding performing career, and she will share those pearls of wisdom with the next generation of students in the College of Fine Arts. Her passion for the arts and student success makes her a perfect fit for this role.”
In an interview with Variety, Rashad...
- 5/12/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Shirley Knight, who was twice Oscar nominated for best supporting actress, for “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” (1960) and “Sweet Bird of Youth” (1962), and won a Tony and three Emmys, died on Wednesday of natural causes in San Marcos, Texas. She was 83.
Her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, paid tribute to Knight in a lengthy Facebook post.
Knight continued to work as she approached 80, reprising her role as Mom in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” in 2015 after appearing in the 2009 original.
In 1997’s “As Good as It Gets,” starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, Knight played the mother of Hunt’s character; the New York Times called her performance “tenderly funny.”
Other film credits of recent vintage include Luis Mandoki’s “Angel Eyes” (2001), starring Jennifer Lopez; thriller “The Salton Sea” (2002); “Grandma’s Boy” (2006); Rebecca Miller’s “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” (2009), with Robin Wright; “Our Idiot Brother” (2011), toplined by...
Her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, paid tribute to Knight in a lengthy Facebook post.
Knight continued to work as she approached 80, reprising her role as Mom in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” in 2015 after appearing in the 2009 original.
In 1997’s “As Good as It Gets,” starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, Knight played the mother of Hunt’s character; the New York Times called her performance “tenderly funny.”
Other film credits of recent vintage include Luis Mandoki’s “Angel Eyes” (2001), starring Jennifer Lopez; thriller “The Salton Sea” (2002); “Grandma’s Boy” (2006); Rebecca Miller’s “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” (2009), with Robin Wright; “Our Idiot Brother” (2011), toplined by...
- 4/22/2020
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Shirley Knight, the daring actress and darling of Tennessee Williams who received Oscar nominations for her work in her third and fourth films, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and Sweet Bird of Youth, has died. She was 83.
Knight died Wednesday of natural causes at the home of her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, in San Marcos, Texas.
Knight was known for taking bold chances during her career — as when she portrayed a promiscuous woman who confronts a young black male (Al Freeman Jr.) on the New York subway in the incendiary 1966 independent film Dutchman ...
Knight died Wednesday of natural causes at the home of her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, in San Marcos, Texas.
Knight was known for taking bold chances during her career — as when she portrayed a promiscuous woman who confronts a young black male (Al Freeman Jr.) on the New York subway in the incendiary 1966 independent film Dutchman ...
- 4/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Shirley Knight, the daring actress and darling of Tennessee Williams who received Oscar nominations for her work in her third and fourth films, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and Sweet Bird of Youth, has died. She was 83.
Knight died Wednesday of natural causes at the home of her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, in San Marcos, Texas.
Knight was known for taking bold chances during her career — as when she portrayed a promiscuous woman who confronts a young black male (Al Freeman Jr.) on the New York subway in the incendiary 1966 independent film Dutchman ...
Knight died Wednesday of natural causes at the home of her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, in San Marcos, Texas.
Knight was known for taking bold chances during her career — as when she portrayed a promiscuous woman who confronts a young black male (Al Freeman Jr.) on the New York subway in the incendiary 1966 independent film Dutchman ...
- 4/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
1973: The Doctors' Penny kissed Mike.
1984: Guiding Light's Alex and Beth were held hostage by Darcy.
1994: All My Children's Kendall crashed Mona's funeral.
1994: One Life to Live's Todd met Blair."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Adopted Daughter, Jack and Uncle Charlie told Jonathan that he couldn't open the new swimming pool he's been advertising without their consent.
1966: On Dark Shadows, to protect David, Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) lied to Constable Jonas Carter (Michael Currie ) when she told him they...
1984: Guiding Light's Alex and Beth were held hostage by Darcy.
1994: All My Children's Kendall crashed Mona's funeral.
1994: One Life to Live's Todd met Blair."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Adopted Daughter, Jack and Uncle Charlie told Jonathan that he couldn't open the new swimming pool he's been advertising without their consent.
1966: On Dark Shadows, to protect David, Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) lied to Constable Jonas Carter (Michael Currie ) when she told him they...
- 8/9/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1930: Clara, Lu & Em premiered.
1989: Another World's Rachel said goodbye to Mac.
1992: One Life to Live's Asa married Blair.
2006: Days of our Lives' Ej and Sami danced the tango."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1930: Clara, Lu and Em, radio's first network daytime soap opera, premiered on Wgn-am in Chicago. It continued through the 1930s and early 1940s on the NBC Blue Network and CBS, finally airing as a syndicated series in 1945.
1972: On Another World, Gerald (Walter Mathews) dialed Steve's number, handed Rachel (Robin Strasser) the phone,...
1989: Another World's Rachel said goodbye to Mac.
1992: One Life to Live's Asa married Blair.
2006: Days of our Lives' Ej and Sami danced the tango."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1930: Clara, Lu and Em, radio's first network daytime soap opera, premiered on Wgn-am in Chicago. It continued through the 1930s and early 1940s on the NBC Blue Network and CBS, finally airing as a syndicated series in 1945.
1972: On Another World, Gerald (Walter Mathews) dialed Steve's number, handed Rachel (Robin Strasser) the phone,...
- 6/16/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1979: Eon's "Mrs. Corey" kept an eye on Deborah's condition.
1979: Atwt's Lisa & Bob danced while Bennett fumed.
1984: Days' Salem mourned Roman at his wake.
1998: Gh's Alan found Tammy next to his dead drug dealer."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1941: On The Story of Mary Marlin, Davey's intended destination was exposed further. An NBC News bulletin, one of the first known casualty reports to come from Pearl Harbor, arrived just before the day's episode of this popular radio soap opera.
1941: On Vic & Sade,...
1979: Atwt's Lisa & Bob danced while Bennett fumed.
1984: Days' Salem mourned Roman at his wake.
1998: Gh's Alan found Tammy next to his dead drug dealer."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1941: On The Story of Mary Marlin, Davey's intended destination was exposed further. An NBC News bulletin, one of the first known casualty reports to come from Pearl Harbor, arrived just before the day's episode of this popular radio soap opera.
1941: On Vic & Sade,...
- 12/7/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1973: The Doctors' Penny kissed Mike.
1984: Guiding Light's Alex and Beth were held hostage by Darcy.
1994: All My Children's Kendall crashed Mona's funeral.
1994: One Life to Live's Todd met Blair."The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Adopted Daughter, Jack and Uncle Charlie told Jonathan that he couldn't open the new swimming pool he's been advertising without their consent.
1966: On Dark Shadows, to protect David, Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) lied to Constable Jonas Carter (Michael Currie ) when she told him they had discovered the bleeder valve fell off by itself.
1973: On The Doctors,...
1984: Guiding Light's Alex and Beth were held hostage by Darcy.
1994: All My Children's Kendall crashed Mona's funeral.
1994: One Life to Live's Todd met Blair."The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Adopted Daughter, Jack and Uncle Charlie told Jonathan that he couldn't open the new swimming pool he's been advertising without their consent.
1966: On Dark Shadows, to protect David, Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) lied to Constable Jonas Carter (Michael Currie ) when she told him they had discovered the bleeder valve fell off by itself.
1973: On The Doctors,...
- 8/9/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1930: Clara, Lu & Em premiered.
1989: Another World's Rachel said goodbye to Mac.
1992: One Life to Live's Asa married Blair.
2006: Days of our Lives' Ej and Sami danced the tango."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1930: Clara, Lu and Em, radio's first network daytime soap opera, premiered on Wgn-am in Chicago. It continued through the 1930s and early 1940s on the NBC Blue Network and CBS,...
1989: Another World's Rachel said goodbye to Mac.
1992: One Life to Live's Asa married Blair.
2006: Days of our Lives' Ej and Sami danced the tango."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1930: Clara, Lu and Em, radio's first network daytime soap opera, premiered on Wgn-am in Chicago. It continued through the 1930s and early 1940s on the NBC Blue Network and CBS,...
- 6/20/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
James Reynolds has played Abe Carver on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” since 1981, and in the process earned nominations at the Daytime Emmys for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 and 2017. This year Reynolds is nominated for Best Actor, which is his first nomination in the lead category since 1991 when he contended for his role on the short-lived soap “Generations.” Will Reynolds win his first Emmy after almost four decades on daytime television? The winners will be announced on April 29, but they’ve already been decided in the drama acting categories by blue ribbon panels that viewed sample performance reels. Watch Reynolds’s submission above.
Reynolds’s reel surrounds the aftermath of a police shooting: Abe’s son Theo (Kyler Pettis) was shot by Jj Deveraux (Best Younger Actor nominee Casey Moss) even though he was unarmed. Abe is enraged, and he becomes even more furious when Jj explains that he...
Reynolds’s reel surrounds the aftermath of a police shooting: Abe’s son Theo (Kyler Pettis) was shot by Jj Deveraux (Best Younger Actor nominee Casey Moss) even though he was unarmed. Abe is enraged, and he becomes even more furious when Jj explains that he...
- 4/23/2018
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
James Reynolds (“Days of Our Lives”) is the front-runner to win Best Actor at the Daytime Emmys according to our early predictions with leading odds of 11/5. If he does prevail it will be the first Emmy in a career that stretches back almost four decades, and it would make history for his soap and for black actors.
Reynolds has played Abe Carver on “Days” since 1981, which makes him the longest-running black character in soap opera history. But during that time he has only earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for the role: Best Supporting Actor in 2004 and 2017. He also picked up one Best Actor bid in 1991 for his stint in the short-lived drama “Generations.” He has never won, so he’s long overdue, and “Days” has also spent decades waiting for a win in this category. The first two Daytime Emmys for Best Actor went to “Days” star Macdonald Carey (1974-...
Reynolds has played Abe Carver on “Days” since 1981, which makes him the longest-running black character in soap opera history. But during that time he has only earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for the role: Best Supporting Actor in 2004 and 2017. He also picked up one Best Actor bid in 1991 for his stint in the short-lived drama “Generations.” He has never won, so he’s long overdue, and “Days” has also spent decades waiting for a win in this category. The first two Daytime Emmys for Best Actor went to “Days” star Macdonald Carey (1974-...
- 2/12/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Before I said I was going to do Finian’s Rainbow I should have read the book.”Finian’s Rainbow (1968)
Commentator: Francis Ford Coppola (director)
1. Regarding the film’s opening frame featuring the word “overture” onscreen, he says it’s because this was what was referred to as a roadshow production. “They were like a night at the theater. You were given a program, it was an event, and as you came to your seat there was an overture playing.” It’s a long absent format, but Quentin Tarantino recently revived it for some screenings of The Hateful Eight.
2. He says a benefit of 70mm productions was that “the soundtrack would be in six-track magnetic stereophonic sound and was very high quality.”
3. The Warner Bros/Seven Arts logo reminds him of his time spent at the latter company working as a staff writer when they bought WB. “It was quite a coincidence related to my directing this...
Commentator: Francis Ford Coppola (director)
1. Regarding the film’s opening frame featuring the word “overture” onscreen, he says it’s because this was what was referred to as a roadshow production. “They were like a night at the theater. You were given a program, it was an event, and as you came to your seat there was an overture playing.” It’s a long absent format, but Quentin Tarantino recently revived it for some screenings of The Hateful Eight.
2. He says a benefit of 70mm productions was that “the soundtrack would be in six-track magnetic stereophonic sound and was very high quality.”
3. The Warner Bros/Seven Arts logo reminds him of his time spent at the latter company working as a staff writer when they bought WB. “It was quite a coincidence related to my directing this...
- 3/15/2017
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
As a musical it’s excellent — fine tunes and lyrics, great singing and dancing by the ever-youthful Fred Astaire, the glorious songbird Petula Clark, and the impishly weird Tommy Steele cast appropriately as a grimacing Leprechaun. The update of what was a politically acute Broadway hit in 1947 is awkward but the show is a melodious pleasure — great color, fine voices and peppy direction by Francis Ford Coppola on his first big studio feature.
Finian’s Rainbow
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 145 141 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks, Keenan Wynn, Barbara Hancock, Al Freeman Jr., Ronald Colby, Dolph Sweet, Wright King, Louis Silas.
Cinematography: Philip Lathrop
Film Editor: Melvin Shapiro
Original Music: Ray Heindorf
Written by E.Y. Harburg, Fred Saidy
Produced by Joseph Landon
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Finian’s Rainbow is a unique musical with a strange history.
Finian’s Rainbow
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 145 141 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks, Keenan Wynn, Barbara Hancock, Al Freeman Jr., Ronald Colby, Dolph Sweet, Wright King, Louis Silas.
Cinematography: Philip Lathrop
Film Editor: Melvin Shapiro
Original Music: Ray Heindorf
Written by E.Y. Harburg, Fred Saidy
Produced by Joseph Landon
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Finian’s Rainbow is a unique musical with a strange history.
- 3/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Frank Sinatra shines in a story of police corruption that tries to say it like it is -- or like it was in 1968, just before the ratings system came in. The well-intentioned, suspenseful story is burdened by odd censor choices, Sinatra's conservative self-image, and rudely retrograde attitudes toward gays. In a sparkling new transfer with Jerry Goldsmith's jazzy score isolated on its own track. The Detective Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Ship Date December 8, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker, Jacqueline Bisset, William Windom, Al Freeman Jr., Tony Musante, Lloyd Bochner, Robert Duvall, Horace McMahon Cinematography Joseph F. Biroc Art Direction William J. Creber, Jack Martin Smith Film Editor Robert L. Simpson Original Music Jerry Goldsmith Written by Abby Mann from a novel by Roderick Thorpe Produced by Aaron Rosenberg Directed by Gordon Douglas
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 12/30/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Alex Simon
By the mid-1960s, the notorious Hayes Code, the censorship standards begun in the 1930s, had begun to fall away. Films like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Bonnie & Clyde, The Graduate and In the Heat of the Night started pushing the envelope in terms of “adult” content portrayed on-screen. With the advent of the MPAA rating system in November, 1968 a new era of freedom was ushered in. Filmmakers could frankly portray sex, violence, profanity and formerly taboo subject matters. While the aforementioned films are all iconic in stature, one of the key films that pushed the rating system into being is now largely forgotten.
Roderick Thorp’s 1966 novel The Detective became an instant best-seller, a mammoth (600 pages), unflinching look at Joe Leland, a weary veteran cop who finds his legal and personal mettle tested while investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy, gay department store heir.
By the mid-1960s, the notorious Hayes Code, the censorship standards begun in the 1930s, had begun to fall away. Films like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Bonnie & Clyde, The Graduate and In the Heat of the Night started pushing the envelope in terms of “adult” content portrayed on-screen. With the advent of the MPAA rating system in November, 1968 a new era of freedom was ushered in. Filmmakers could frankly portray sex, violence, profanity and formerly taboo subject matters. While the aforementioned films are all iconic in stature, one of the key films that pushed the rating system into being is now largely forgotten.
Roderick Thorp’s 1966 novel The Detective became an instant best-seller, a mammoth (600 pages), unflinching look at Joe Leland, a weary veteran cop who finds his legal and personal mettle tested while investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy, gay department store heir.
- 4/20/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
I repost this in light of Amiri Baraka's death, at 79 years old, made public this afternoon... Made in 1967, Dutchman is the filmed version of Amiri Baraka’s (he was LeRoi Jones when he wrote it) controversial one-act stage play. It won the Obie Award for best off-Broadway play, thrusting Baraka into the limelight. It stars Al Freeman Jr. and Shirley Knight. The story: A sinister, neurotic, lascivious white girl, Lula, lures to his doom, a young black man, Clay - a stranger she picks up in the subway. The man, who, at first, sees no reason to resist the girl's advances, realizes too late that he is being used by her. He then drops his so-called "white"...
- 1/9/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
It could be seen as more of a public service every time Morgan Freeman makes a public appearance. When he dropped by "The Tonight Show," it was clear that for at least that moment he was still alive. Freeman talked about those persistent rumors that crop up on the Internet that he has died.
"It’s an amazing sort of bitter news to learn that you have deceased somewhere," Freeman said. He then mimed receiving a message from a friend asking, "Are you dead?"
"Nope. Not yet," Freeman responded.
Freeman did have a theory as to the August rumor of his passing. Actor Al Freeman Jr. passed away that month. Perhaps the mix-up originated there. Or maybe people like to mess with him by posting that he's died because he always seems to laugh it off and have fun with it.
Catch "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" every weeknight at 11:35 p.
"It’s an amazing sort of bitter news to learn that you have deceased somewhere," Freeman said. He then mimed receiving a message from a friend asking, "Are you dead?"
"Nope. Not yet," Freeman responded.
Freeman did have a theory as to the August rumor of his passing. Actor Al Freeman Jr. passed away that month. Perhaps the mix-up originated there. Or maybe people like to mess with him by posting that he's died because he always seems to laugh it off and have fun with it.
Catch "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" every weeknight at 11:35 p.
- 3/19/2013
- by Jason Hughes
- Huffington Post
Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! Believe it or not, this is one of those truly weird pictures that, from time to time, I wished would come out on DVD. And now finally, as if miracles will never cease, it will very soon. I'm taking about the bizzaro 1964 independently made feature Black Like Me starring Hollywood veteran supporting actor James Whitmore with Roscoe Lee Brown and Al Freeman Jr. among others. And it's coming out for the first time, fully remastered, on DVD and VOD on Dec. 11 through Video Services Corp (Vsc). It's one of those classic "what-the-hell-were-they-thinking?" movies which are like car wrecks complete with mutilated bodies. You...
- 10/26/2012
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Actor Albert Freeman Jr. (also known as Al Freeman Jr.) has died from unspecified causes at age 78. Freeman had been teaching acting at Howard University in Washington, DC. where he also chaired the theater arts department. Freeman appeared on the long running afternoon soap opera One Life to Live between 1972 and 1987 and won an Emmy for his work. In feature films, he had high profile roles in movies like Finian's Rainbow, The Detective, The Lost Man, Castle Keep and Spike Lee's Malcolm X, in which he won acclaim for his performance as controversial Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad. For more click here ...
- 8/13/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Albert Freeman Jr., the veteran actor who played Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee's epic film, Malcolm X, has died. He was 78. Howard University in Washington, D.C., confirmed his death Friday night but details weren't immediately available. Freeman taught acting there for years and served as chairman and artistic director of its theater arts department. Story: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2012 "He was a brilliant professor, a renowned actor and a master director who made his mark in the classroom as well as on stage, screen and television. ... He has mentored and taught scores of outstanding actors. He was
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- 8/11/2012
- by Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles — Albert Freeman Jr., the veteran actor who played Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee's epic film, "Malcolm X," has died. He was 78.
Howard University in Washington, D.C., confirmed his death Friday night but details weren't immediately available. Freeman taught acting there for years and served as chairman and artistic director of its theater arts department.
"He was a brilliant professor, a renowned actor and a master director who made his mark in the classroom as well as on stage, screen and television. ... He has mentored and taught scores of outstanding actors. He was a resounding voice of Howard and will be missed," university spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement.
Freeman earned an NAACP Image Award for playing Malcolm X's mentor in Lee's 1992 biography.
He also received an Emmy nomination for his role as Malcolm X in the 1979 miniseries "Roots: The Next Generations." He won...
Howard University in Washington, D.C., confirmed his death Friday night but details weren't immediately available. Freeman taught acting there for years and served as chairman and artistic director of its theater arts department.
"He was a brilliant professor, a renowned actor and a master director who made his mark in the classroom as well as on stage, screen and television. ... He has mentored and taught scores of outstanding actors. He was a resounding voice of Howard and will be missed," university spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement.
Freeman earned an NAACP Image Award for playing Malcolm X's mentor in Lee's 1992 biography.
He also received an Emmy nomination for his role as Malcolm X in the 1979 miniseries "Roots: The Next Generations." He won...
- 8/11/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
In light of Al Freeman Jr.'s death (please see the post immediately underneath this one)... Made in 1967, Dutchman is the filmed version of Amiri Baraka’s (he was LeRoi Jones when he wrote it) controversial one-act stage play. It won the Obie Award for best off-Broadway play, thrusting Baraka into the limelight. It stars Al Freeman Jr. & Shirley Knight. The story: A sinister, neurotic, lascivious white girl, Lula, lures to his doom, a young black man, Clay - a stranger she picks up in the subway. The man, who, at first, sees no reason to resist the girl's advances, realizes too late that he is being used by her. He then drops his so-called...
- 8/10/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The son of African American stage actor Al Freeman (1884-1956), and star of stage, TV and film, Al Freeman Jr. (born Albert Cornelius Freeman Jr., on March 21, 1934, in San Antonio, Texas), has died at the age of 78 years old. His career, as an actor primarily, as well as a writer and director, spans several decades, dating back to the 1950s. He made his big screen debut in 1960's melodrama The Rebel Breed. Most notably, in 1967, Freeman Jr. co-starred with Shirley Knight in the film version of Leroi Jones' (Amiri Baraka's) off-Broadway play Dutchman, in a performance that earned him excellent reviews, and further attention for his...
- 8/10/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Director Spike Lee.s bio film Malcolm X comes to Blu-ray looking great and sporting a 40 page book that looks at the making of the film and its stars. The Blu-ray also features a bonus DVD of the Oscar-nominated 1972 feature length documentary Malcolm X. Based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, the film was directed by Lee (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arnold Perl), and stars Denzel Washington, Delroy Lindo, Albert Hall, Angela Bassett, Al Freeman Jr., and Lee. It also features cameos from Bobby Seale, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Nelson Mandela. Covering different important moments in Malcolm X.s life, the film starts with his criminal career as Malcolm "Detroit...
- 2/16/2012
- by Patrick Luce
- Monsters and Critics
Chicago – Spike Lee has been getting national buzz again after the Sundance premiere of his controversial “Red Hook Summer” and the ageless Denzel Washington is back in the spotlight as his latest action vehicle, “Safe House,” premieres in theaters on Friday. It seems a perfect time for a Blu-ray release to bring audiences back to one of their career highlights. Over twenty years ago, the two collaborated on their most artistically rewarding venture, the epic “Malcolm X,” a fantastic film that has held up remarkably well, in no small part due to the excellent HD transfer from Warner Bros.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
There’s an entire generation who probably has no idea about the controversy that swirled around Lee’s “Malcolm X.” First, it was originally going to be directed by Norman Jewison, which seemed like an unusual choice for a film about such an important figure of the civil rights movement.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
There’s an entire generation who probably has no idea about the controversy that swirled around Lee’s “Malcolm X.” First, it was originally going to be directed by Norman Jewison, which seemed like an unusual choice for a film about such an important figure of the civil rights movement.
- 2/8/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The year was 1992. Spike Lee’s Malcolm X was on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the neighborhood. Teens and children were listening to jazz inspired hip-hop from Tribe Called Quest’s second album, The Low End Theory. The Native Tongues were encouraging unity in their music. Wearing Africa Medallions became a trend in fashion, along with clothing that reflected African unity and education. Cross Colours proclaimed catch phrases like “Academic Hard Ware” and “Racism Hurts Everybody”, while sweatshirts marked African American College Alliance bolstered the youth’s interest in higher education. The word in the street was “spread love not war”. The winter season was just coming to a close in the first quarter of ‘92 and Malcolm X had yet to even open in the theaters.
2012 marks the 20th anniversary of Spike Lee’s Academy-Award-nominated biopic Malcolm X. When you look at a film when it is first released,...
2012 marks the 20th anniversary of Spike Lee’s Academy-Award-nominated biopic Malcolm X. When you look at a film when it is first released,...
- 2/2/2012
- by Bags Hooper
- BuzzFocus.com
The Hallmark Channel is launching an unscripted lifestyle series with author and icon Maya Angelou.
The new 13-episode series is called The Spirit Table and will feature the host and well-known guests sharing life stories and cooking. The show is slated for prime-time airing and is expected to be launched in early 2012.
Ms. Angelou is no novice to television having made appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show as well as acted in several films and TV shows including Touched By An Angel, Roots, Poetic Justice and Madea’s Family Reunion.
She also made her debut as a director with Down In The Delta. The 1998 film stars Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr., Esther Rolle, Loretta Devine and Wesley Snipes.
The new 13-episode series is called The Spirit Table and will feature the host and well-known guests sharing life stories and cooking. The show is slated for prime-time airing and is expected to be launched in early 2012.
Ms. Angelou is no novice to television having made appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show as well as acted in several films and TV shows including Touched By An Angel, Roots, Poetic Justice and Madea’s Family Reunion.
She also made her debut as a director with Down In The Delta. The 1998 film stars Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr., Esther Rolle, Loretta Devine and Wesley Snipes.
- 3/23/2011
- by Cynthia
- ShadowAndAct
Actor Al Freeman Jr. is 77 today. The accomplished actor, who began his career in an episode of the 1958 TV series Suspicion, became the first African-American actor to be honored with an Emmy award in the Best Lead Actor category. His credits include a long list of various television programs and movies such as Kojak, Roots: The Next Generation, Dutchman, soap opera One Life To Live and Down In The Delta. Playing Elijah Muhammed in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X may be considered his most memorable role.
Actress Sabrina LeBeauf will be 53 today. The actress is probably best known for her role as Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She beat out Whitney Houston for that role. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts from UCLA and an Mfa in acting from the Yale School of Drama where she was a classmate of John Turturro, Charles S. Dutton and Oscar-nominee Angela Bassett.
Actress Sabrina LeBeauf will be 53 today. The actress is probably best known for her role as Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She beat out Whitney Houston for that role. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts from UCLA and an Mfa in acting from the Yale School of Drama where she was a classmate of John Turturro, Charles S. Dutton and Oscar-nominee Angela Bassett.
- 3/21/2011
- by Cynthia
- ShadowAndAct
Made in 1966, Dutchman is the filmed version of Amiri Baraka’s controversial one-act stage play. It won the Obie Award for best off-Broadway play, thrusting Baraka into the limelight. It stars Al Freeman Jr. & Shirley Knight.
The story, for those unfamiliar, goes… A sinister, neurotic, lascivious white girl, Lula, lures to his doom, a good-looking young black man, Clay – a stranger she picks up in the subway. She mocks him for wearing the clothes, and employing the voice and manners of what she deems the conventional white intellectual. The man, who, at first, sees no reason to resist the girl’s advances, perceives too late that he is being used by her. He then drops his so-called “white” disguise, and launches into a counterattack, against the girl, and at whites in general, leading to its haunting, shocking conclusion.
Dutchman initially played to primarily white audiences, until Baraka moved it to...
The story, for those unfamiliar, goes… A sinister, neurotic, lascivious white girl, Lula, lures to his doom, a good-looking young black man, Clay – a stranger she picks up in the subway. She mocks him for wearing the clothes, and employing the voice and manners of what she deems the conventional white intellectual. The man, who, at first, sees no reason to resist the girl’s advances, perceives too late that he is being used by her. He then drops his so-called “white” disguise, and launches into a counterattack, against the girl, and at whites in general, leading to its haunting, shocking conclusion.
Dutchman initially played to primarily white audiences, until Baraka moved it to...
- 3/4/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Saturday’s weather in NYC was too lovely for me to stay inside, and so I missed yesterday’s birthdays. Thus, today will include yesterday’s and today’s.
Yesterday, 3/20/10, Spike Lee turned 53 yesterday. Happy belated b-day Spike! You know we love ya around these parts, despite any criticisms we’ve previously leveled against you .
Today, 3/21/10:vDJ Premier is 44 years old today. The other half of rap duo Gang Starr (Guru being the other) has never acted, but you can find his music on the soundtracks of numerous films, including, most recently, Get Smart in 2008.
Al Freeman Jr is 76 years old today. The first African-American actor to be so honored with an Emmy award in the Best Lead Actor category, began his career in 1958, in an episode of a TV series titled Suspicion. The role he won the Emmy for is possibly his most recognized – as Police Captain Ed Hall on the ABC soap opera,...
Yesterday, 3/20/10, Spike Lee turned 53 yesterday. Happy belated b-day Spike! You know we love ya around these parts, despite any criticisms we’ve previously leveled against you .
Today, 3/21/10:vDJ Premier is 44 years old today. The other half of rap duo Gang Starr (Guru being the other) has never acted, but you can find his music on the soundtracks of numerous films, including, most recently, Get Smart in 2008.
Al Freeman Jr is 76 years old today. The first African-American actor to be so honored with an Emmy award in the Best Lead Actor category, began his career in 1958, in an episode of a TV series titled Suspicion. The role he won the Emmy for is possibly his most recognized – as Police Captain Ed Hall on the ABC soap opera,...
- 3/21/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Made in 1966, Dutchman is the filmed version of Amiri Baraka’s controversial one-act stageplay. It won the Obie Award for best off-Broadway play, thrusting Baraka into the limelight. It stars Al Freeman Jr. & Shirley Knight.
A sinister, neurotic, lascivious white girl, Lula, lures to his doom, a good-looking young black man, Clay – a stranger whom she has picked up in the subway, and whom she mocks for wearing the clothes, and employing the voice and manners of the conventional white intellectual. The man, who, at first seeing no reason to resist the girl’s advances, perceives too late that he is being used by her, then drops his “white” disguise, and launches into a counterattack against her, and on the entire white race, leading to its haunting, shocking conclusion.
Dutchman initially played to primarily white audiences, until Baraka moved it to a Harlem theater that he founded, in order to reach,...
A sinister, neurotic, lascivious white girl, Lula, lures to his doom, a good-looking young black man, Clay – a stranger whom she has picked up in the subway, and whom she mocks for wearing the clothes, and employing the voice and manners of the conventional white intellectual. The man, who, at first seeing no reason to resist the girl’s advances, perceives too late that he is being used by her, then drops his “white” disguise, and launches into a counterattack against her, and on the entire white race, leading to its haunting, shocking conclusion.
Dutchman initially played to primarily white audiences, until Baraka moved it to a Harlem theater that he founded, in order to reach,...
- 1/29/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
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