Jane Eyre is a very personal heroine who, once encountered, is hard to forget, and everyone has their own ideas as to how she should be portrayed. The proof is in the dozens of film and TV movies made about her over the past century (see a complete list here). For those who might not … Continue reading Page To Screen: Jane Eyre
Shamedown #9: Touch of Evil
Well, lookee what we have here...another Shamedown. Anyone who's new to the blog and is wondering what the heck this is all about, please visit Cinema Shame. Orson Welles's relationship with Hollywood was always a contentious one, but by the late nineteen-fifties, a few things were changing. A lot of the old guard executives had … Continue reading Shamedown #9: Touch of Evil
After Citizen Kane
The phrase, "sophomore slump" is common among public figures. When one's debut venture is excellent and celebrated, there's always a danger that anything following it will be a letdown. When one's debut film is Citizen Kane, the stakes are even higher. Orson Welles followed up that infamous firestorm with 1942's The Magnificent Ambersons. Based on the Booth Tarkington novel, … Continue reading After Citizen Kane
Shamedown #3: The Stranger
Shamedown Numero Trés, and our first Orson Welles movie of the list. I've been told this film's not one of Welles's best, but I'm keeping an open mind. If anyone is wondering what on God's green earth a Shamedown is, please visit the folks at Cinema Shame. After Citizen Kane, Orson Welles never quite got the same amount of creative … Continue reading Shamedown #3: The Stranger
Revisiting the Muppet Movie
We watched The Muppet Movie on the last day of the So Bad It's Good Blogathon. It was my son's idea. It felt a bit ironic doing it right as the Academy Awards were going on, because it's funny how much Hollywood has changed. Heck, it's funny how much the Muppets have changed. When The Muppet Movie came … Continue reading Revisiting the Muppet Movie
Joseph Cotten and the Mercury Players
Mr. Cotten, I presume. Joseph Cotten was an unusual actor. Sure, he was handsome and funny and could play a variety of roles, but he was also a late bloomer. Born in 1905, he didn't make his stage debut until 1930 and his film debut in 1938. The latter is due, of course, to a … Continue reading Joseph Cotten and the Mercury Players
Jane and Edward
Presenting Miss Joan! Joan Fontaine wasn't a lady to be pigeonholed. She could be sweet, she could be romantic, and she could be steely. In the case of 1944's Jane Eyre, she was a mixture of all of these qualities and more, sharing scenes with Orson Welles, one of the most formidable figures in entertainment history. … Continue reading Jane and Edward
Lionel On the Air
Lionel Barrymore was a towering actor, but unfortunately he had to deal with severe physical pain after the mid-nineteen-thirties, which limited his prospects somewhat. The possible causes range from rheumatoid arthritis to a drawing room table falling on him in 1936, to breaking a kneecap, to hip injuries. No one knows for sure. Some think … Continue reading Lionel On the Air
Taking Up Room 