Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

[struth]

Gorky Park, 1983.
The Soviet Communist Party condemned the film as anti-Communist and anti-Russian and denied the crew access to shoot in Moscow, lol. Gorky Park was filmed in Helsinki and Stockholm. The Kaisaniemi public park in the Helsinki centre was set as the Gorky amusement park.





Producer Howard W. Koch said of the making of this movie whilst doing press for the picture: "We couldn't even get into Russia to film it and I can't say any of us were surprised. But that's what makes it so special. We're chalking up a first here. Nobody ever made a modern thriller like this set in Russia. It's just a pity they don't like us doing it." Koch added: "They kept telling us 'There's no crime or corruption in Moscow'. But it's like any urban city in the world, of course there's crime. They just don't tell anyone about it. That's what you get with a closed society."

Most of the Russian characters are played by British actors, so the accent convention in this movie is that British accents are native Russians. This is why William Hurt speaks his part with a British accent, while Lee Marvin and Brian Dennehy speak naturally as their American characters.

The internal scenes of the Kremlin was actually the City Chambers in Glasgow. Scottish audiences were very amused to see famous Scottish comedian Rikki Fulton turn up as a ruthless KGB agent.

[Macca]

The internal scenes of the Kremlin was actually the City Chambers in Glasgow. .

They were probably modelled on the Kremlin anyway

[struth]

It was designed in the Beaux-Arts architecture style(French neoclassicism) by William Young. He aso did Haseley Manor. He was given the commission for the new War Office in Whitehall (later completed by his son, Clyde Francis Young).

so yes, deffo a commie

[struth]

A Clockwork Orange, 1971..4K bluray remaster....







Alex performing "Singing in the Rain" as he attacks the writer and his wife was not scripted. Stanley Kubrick spent four days experimenting with this scene, finding it too conventional. Eventually he approached Malcolm McDowell and asked him if he could dance. They tried the scene again, this time with McDowell dancing and singing the only song he could remember. Kubrick was so amused that he swiftly bought the rights to "Singing in the Rain" for $10,000. When Malcolm McDowell met Gene Kelly at a party several years later, the older star turned and walked away in disgust. Kelly was deeply upset about the way his signature from Singin' in the Rain (1952) had been portrayed in A Clockwork Orange (1971).

The film was unavailable for public viewing in the UK from 1973 until 2000, the year after Stanley Kubrick's death. British video stores were so inundated with requests for the movie that some took to putting up signs that read: 'No, we do not have A Clockwork Orange (1971).'

Malcolm McDowell delighted in the speeded-up orgy, since Stanley Kubrick could not shout "Cut!" until it was over and McDowell could accordingly do whatever he wanted during the take. Carrying the girls back to the bed a second time was improvised by McDowell, much to the irritation of Kubrick who shouted off-camera "That's enough Malcolm! That's enough!"

[struth]

Unforgiven, 1992.. 4K remastered. Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)Unforgiven was entirely prepared by Warner's Motion Picture Imaging facility, which has been responsible for all the important catalog restorations released by the studio and has become the "go to" post house for the Warner Archive Collection.






Although the score was arranged by Lennie Niehaus, the main theme was written by Clint Eastwood.

This is the third western to win the Best Picture Oscar. The other two are Dances with Wolves (1990) and Cimarron (1931).

To maintain the authentic atmosphere, no motor vehicles were allowed on the Big Whiskey set.

Ranked #4 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Western" in June 2008.

[Macca]

surprised that 'Rio Bravo' or 'The Searchers' did not win.

Looked it up and 'Rio Bravo' was up against 'Ben Hur' (which won). 'The Searchers' lost to 'Marty' though, which doesn't seem right.

[struth]

surprised that 'Rio Bravo' or 'The Searchers' did not win.

Looked it up and 'Rio Bravo' was up against 'Ben Hur' (which won). 'The Searchers' lost to 'Marty' though, which doesn't seem right.

reckon if either were to have been made in 90's they would have

[Macca]

I can imagine 'The Searchers' being a 1990s film, the tone is right even if the colour processing isn't, but not so much 'Rio Bravo.' That's a very 1950s film IMO.

[struth]

I can imagine 'The Searchers' being a 1990s film, the tone is right even if the colour processing isn't, but not so much 'Rio Bravo.' That's a very 1950s film IMO.

well obviously there would be differences i guess but it was more that westerns before say late 80's were not rated as art, just as cinema fodder, which was what i meant really. Some decent ones in 60/70's came close i guess like Little Big Man, Josey Wales, and obviously the leone ones(but he was at that time just rated as Italian nonsence director). Dances with Wolves caught the Eye as it was at a time when Indian rights had come back into vogue.

early 80's america went all proud of itself during the regan years.

[struth]

An absolute classic film.


Now, Walkabout, 1971.. This is the Limited Edition Boxset Bluray remaster. Director, Nicolas Roeg.. A near masterpiece imo..

A cultural clash between innocents from a fragile civilization thrown into a harsh, unforgiving nature... Perhaps civilization isnt all victorious after all...






Jenny Agutter was embarrassed when doing the scene of her swimming naked in the lake, so as many as possible of the crew were sent away. When shooting was done they returned, stripped naked, and went for a swim.

Luc Roeg was actually sun-burnt in the scene where the aboriginal boy treats his back by rubbing him with fat from a wild boar. Director Nicolas Roeg thought it would make a good scene for the film so he picked up the camera and shot it.

The poetry quoted by the narrator at the end of the film is Part 40 of A.E. Housman's "A Shropshire Lad": Into my heart an air that kills From yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again.

By saving the white boy and girl, black boy has broken the rules of his walkabout. Strictly speaking in most tribes it is something a boy has to do alone for a period to prove he can survive, so black boy has broken this taboo. That is one of the reasons he dies.