FEATURED POSTS

10 Questions with Shane Briant

The talented British' born actor Shane Briant made his screen debut in the Hammer horror film Demons of the Mind. Since then he's gone on to appear in over 60 films and television productions including Straight On Till Morning (1972), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), The Mackintosh Man (1973), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981). Currently Briant is focusing his attention on writing fiction and he has recently completed a psychological thriller called Worst Nightmares that will be released May 12th. I've admired his film work for many years so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask Shane Briant a few questions about his early movies and current writing projects. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

The Girl On a Motorcycle (1968)

The talented director and cinematographer Jack Cardiff has passed away at the age of 94. As the tributes start to roll out from various news sites and film blogs its become clear to me that most people regard Jack Cardiff as a great cinematographer and have little regard or knowledge of his directing contributions, which is a shame. Cardiff was a brilliant photographer and his groundbreaking contributions to cinematography are well worth celebrating. But his impressive work as a director on films like the wonderful D.H. Lawrence adaptation Sons and Lovers (1960), the entertaining spy thriller The Liquidator (1965), the excellent erotic drama The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and the effective horror film The Mutations (1974) is also worthy of applause. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

Favorite DVD Releases of 2008

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but overall 2008 was somewhat of a lackluster year for new Region 1 DVD releases of '60s and '70s era films when compared to the previous two years (See: 2006 and 2007). Some of my favorite DVD companies such as BCI Eclipse and most recently New Yorker Films have folded. Boutique DVD companies are releasing fewer products and what is being released is often of questionable quality. With the failing economy and the rise in popularity of Blu-ray discs, it seems like the number of new worthwhile DVD releases might continue to drop dramatically in 2009. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

Resurrecting Yusaku Matsuda

Toru Murakawa's Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (aka Yomigaeru kinrô; 1979) is a wildly uneven Japanese crime film that left me wishing it had been helmed by another director. The film's script was adapted from a popular novel by Haruhiko Ooyabu and directors like Seijun Suzuki have had great success turning Ooyabu's hard-boiled fiction into films, but Toru Murakawa doesn't have Suzuki's eye for detail or his pop art sensibility. Resurrection of the Golden Wolf runs much too long and the dramatic filler weighs down the action, but even with its flaws the movie still keeps your attention thanks to the star performance of Yusaku Matsuda. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

We Are Controlling Transmission

This year analog broadcasting is coming to an end. On June 12th 2009 television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch permanently to digital. Digital broadcasting promises to provide viewers with a sharper picture and more diverse programming options, but this unavoidable change is forcing millions of people to buy new television sets or opt for getting a converter box that will often cost them $40 or more. I feel for these people because I didn't have complete cable TV Access or a digital television myself until 2007. READ MORE

Jean-Claude Brialy 1933-2007

by Kimberly Lindbergs | May 31, 2007

Categories | Actors, French Cinema, Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo

R.I.P. Jean-Claude Brialy 1933-2007

I was planning on finally wrapping up my delayed week of celebrating all things French today, but after reading the news that the great French actor Jean-Claude Brialy had passed away I felt compelled to write something about him. Oddly enough my first thoughts went right to Alain Delon since Brialy and Delon were longtime friends. Brialy even encouraged Delon to get into acting. In 1957 Brialy took Alain Delon to Cannes with him where Delon was “discovered.” Besides Jean-Paul Belmondo, Delon made more films with his friend Jean-Claude Brialy than any other actor he worked with. I think it’s fair to say that if Delon and Brialy had not become friends, Delon may have never started acting.

It seems like a lot of great cinema icons are passing away this year. I suppose age is a factor and I sadly suspect that before 2007 is over many others will probably follow.

Jean-Claude Brialy, Alain Delon, Sacha Distel, Romy Schneider
& Jean Pierre Cassel (1961). Sadly, besides Delon,
everyone in this photo has now passed on.

Brialy had an amazing career in film and made many great movies. During his long career he worked with many great directors including Louis Malle, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Julien Duvivier, Luis Buñuel, Roger Vadim, Eric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, Claire Denis and Lucio Fulci. A few highlights from his impressive filmography include:

Tous peuvent me tuer (a.k.a. Everybody Wants to Kill Me, 1967)
Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (a.k.a. Elevator to the Gallows, 1958)
Christine (1958)
Les Quatre cents coups (a.k.a. The 400 Blows, 1959)
Paris nous appartient (a.k.a Paris Belongs to Us, 1960)
Une histoire d’eau (a.k.a A Story of Water, 1961)
Une femme est une femme (a.k.a. A Woman is a Woman, 1961)
Cléo de 5 à 7 (a.k.a. Cleo From 5 to 7, 1961)
Vie privée (a.k.a. A Very Private Affair, 1962)
La Chambre ardente (a.k.a. The Burning Court, 1962)
Les Diable et les dix commandements (a.k.a. The Devil and the Ten Commandments, 1962)
Château en Suède (a.k.a Nutty, Naughty Chateau, 1963)
La Ronde (a.k.a. Circle of Love, 1964)
Le Roi de coeur (a.k.a. King Of Hearts, 1966)
Operazione San Pietro (a.k.a Operation St. Peter’s, 1967)
La Mariée était en noir (a.k.a. The Bride Wore Black, 1968)
Le Genou de Clair (a.k.a. Claire’s Knee, 1970)
Le Fantôme de la liberté (a.k.a. Phantom of Liberty, 1974)
Catherine et Cie (a.k.a. Catherine & Co, 1975)
Le Juge et l’assassin (a.k.a. The Judge & the Assassin 1976)
L’ Année sainte (a.k.a. Holy Year, 1976)
La Chanson de Roland (a.k.a. The Song of Roland, 1978)
La Nuit de Varennes (a.k.a. That Night in Varennes, 1982)
La Ragazza di Trieste (a.k.a. The Girl from Trieste, 1982)
Mortelle randonnée (a.k.a. Deadly Circuit, 1983)
Inspecteur Lavardin (Inspecteur Lavardin, 1986)
S’en fout la mort (a.k.a. No Fear, No Die, 1990)
La Reine Margot (a.k.a. Queen Margot 1994)
Il Mostro (a.k.a. The Monster, 1994)