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
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
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
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 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

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.

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)
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Jeremy says; May 31, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
I really hate to hear this. Brialy was a real favorite and one of the great icons of French cinema. It reminds me that that many more heroes from my youth are going to probably pass away in my lifetime. It feels like it has just been one great after another leaving us this year.
I will be posting a tribute to Brialy tomorrow…thanks for posting this.
Really sad news, he will be missed.
Vincent says; June 1, 2007 @ 7:51 am
Very moving “hommage” to the actor and director. It is funny and in the same way a little bit sad that you remember him for the best of his work in the moment that in France he is mostly remembered for being “the friend of the VIP”, a really superficial image, Cannes, the stars and so on…
Thanks for the beautiful picture.
cinebeats says; June 2, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
It’s sad to hear that Brialy’s work as an actor is now overshadowed by his celebrity in France. In America it seems like he’s still hardly known here which is a shame really.
Thanks for the comments Jeremy and Vincent!
easytempo says; June 7, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Oh my god, I am speechless. What sad news. I have adored Brialy for years and am shocked to hear that he’s gone. :(