Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

[struth]

Waterloo, 1970... bluray..






Had the movie been filmed in the West, it may have cost up to three times as much. Mosfilm contributed more than £4 million of the costs, and nearly 17,000 soldiers of the Soviet Army, including a full brigade of Soviet cavalry, and a host of engineers and labourers to prepare the battlefield in the rolling farmland outside Uzhhorod, Ukrainian SSR. The Italians provided a reportedly eight million pounds.

Filming took place in Rome and Ukraine (Ukrainian SSR) throughout 1969. The cast consisted of Russian, Italian, Irish, American, Canadian and British actors, who were all required to speak their lines in English.
To recreate the battlefield "authentically", the Soviets bulldozed away two hills, laid five miles of roads, transplanted 5,000 trees, sowed fields of rye, barley and wildflowers and reconstructed four historic buildings. To create the mud, more than six miles of underground irrigation piping was specially laid. Most of the battle scenes were filmed using five Panavision cameras simultaneously – from ground level, from 100-foot towers, from a helicopter, and from an overhead railway built right across the location. The battle reportedly cost $5 million of the $25 million budget. It was the largest battlefield ever used for a film.

[struth]

any excuse..... Scrooge, 1951..

[struth]

Local Hero ,1983.. bluray.

[struth]

Bedazzled, 2000...

[struth]

Chinatown, 1974...bluray.




After several takes that never looked quite right, Faye Dunaway got annoyed and told Jack Nicholson to actually slap her. He did and felt very guilty for it, despite it being Dunaway's decision. The shot made it into the movie.

Jack Nicholson (Jake Gittes) is present in every scene of the film . Roman Polanski said that in staying true to the tradition of Raymond Chandler's detective stories, he shot the whole movie from the perspective of the main character.

[struth]

That Sinking Feeling, 1979. bluray..




In the UK, this (at the time) was the cheapest film ever to have received a theatrical release.

The producers redubbed the dialogue for the U.S. release to reduce heavy Glasgow accents, which would have been unintelligible to American audiences. The cost for the dubbing for this release was more than the original film production.

[Barry]

That Sinking Feeling, 1979. bluray..




In the UK, this (at the time) was the cheapest film ever to have received a theatrical release.

The producers redubbed the dialogue for the U.S. release to reduce heavy Glasgow accents, which would have been unintelligible to American audiences. The cost for the dubbing for this release was more than the original film production.

I have only ever seen that film once. Not bad, but from memory not as good as Gregory's Girl.

Maybe I should try to watch it again.

[Barry]

Chinatown, 1974...bluray.




After several takes that never looked quite right, Faye Dunaway got annoyed and told Jack Nicholson to actually slap her. He did and felt very guilty for it, despite it being Dunaway's decision. The shot made it into the movie.

Jack Nicholson (Jake Gittes) is present in every scene of the film . Roman Polanski said that in staying true to the tradition of Raymond Chandler's detective stories, he shot the whole movie from the perspective of the main character.

Classic film - ought to get myself a copy.

[Macca]

Classic film - ought to get myself a copy.

I've got it on VHS and DVD

Very little on telly over Xmas as usual. No 'Zulu' or even 'Zulu Dawn' or any other proper Xmas film except 'The Great Escape' and I saw that not long ago.

Watched 'The Ten Commandments' the other day. No seen that since I was about 8. It's even worse than I remember.

[struth]

Kind Hearts and Coronets, 1949... bluray.





Agatha's death in the movie caused some consternation for Sir Alec Guinness. The scene in question, a hot air ballooning accident filmed in a field next door to Pinewood Studios, prompted him to ask the producers if he was well insured. They told him that he was, to the tune of ten thousand pounds sterling, but Guinness didn't think that was enough. He then declared that the balloon could not be raised any more than fifteen feet unless they raised the insurance to fifty thousand pounds sterling. Ealing Studios was renowned for being very penny-pinching, and it naturally refused Guinness' demand, pointing out that he would be accompanied in the balloon by a well-qualified Belgian balloonist hidden in the basket with him. Guinness was undeterred in his refusal to perform the stunt, so the scene in the finished movie is not him, but the Belgian balloonist wearing Agatha's dress and wig. Guinness had the last laugh, however, when a high wind pulled the balloon off course. The Belgian balloonist was found fifty miles away, having had to jump into a river.