Adventures in American Filmmaking #73
Today's Adventure: Francis Ford Coppola articulates his vision for Apocalypse Now
for the series:
Adventures in American Filmmaking
April 30, 2007
They Were Collaborators #302
I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
Relevant Quote #86
"My master heard me with great appearances of uneasiness in his countenance; because doubting, or not believing, are so little known in this country, that the inhabitants cannot tell how to behave themselves under such circumstances. And I remember, in frequent discourses with my master concerning the nature of manhood in other parts of the world, having occasion to talk of lying and false representation, it was with much difficulty that he comprehended what I meant, although he had otherwise a most acute judgment. For he argued thus: 'that the use of speech was to make us understand one another, and to receive information of facts; now, if any one said the thing which was not, these ends were defeated, because I cannot properly be said to understand him; and I am so far from receiving information, that he leaves me worse than in ignorance; for I am led to believe a thing black, when it is white, and short, when it is long.' And these were all the notions he had concerning that faculty of lying, so perfectly well understood, and so universally practised, among human creatures."
-- Jonathan Swift
for the series:
Relevant Quotes
April 29, 2007
When Legends Gather #243
Nico and Brian Jones at the Monterrey Pop festival.
for the series:
When Legends Gather
Through the lens of Cyril Arapoff #5
A group of boys outside a second-hand shop in the vacinity of Aldgate.
for the series:
Through the Lens of Cyril Arapoff
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood #12
A land breeze
for the series:
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood
The Art of the London Underground #17
Untitled by Charles Pears; 1915
for the series:
Art of the London Underground
The Art of Socialism #5
Appeal to Reason subscription renewal receipt (1907)
for the series:
Art of Socialism
April 28, 2007
The Art of Pop #8
Mood to Be Wooed
(Sammy Davis, jr.)
(Decca Records; 1958)
for the series:
Art of Pop
When Legends Gather #242
Elvis Presley, Tennessee Williams, Col. Tom Parker, Laurence Harvey and Hal Wallis
for the series:
When Legends Gather
They Were Collaborators #300
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
Artists in Action #180
Jean Cocteau picks out a tune. Perhaps Smoke Gets In Your Eyes?
for the series:
Artists in Action
April 27, 2007
The Art of Songwriting #17
Dapper Dan from Dear Old Dixieland
Music: Albert von Tilzer
Lyrics: Lew Brown
(Broadway Music Corp; 1921)
for the series:
Art of Songwriting
April 26, 2007
Seminal Image #646
Koroshi no rakuin
(Branded to Kill)
(Seijun Suzuki; 1967)
(a big and enthusiastic thanks to Nate Bundy of Real Political Face Talk for this image)
for the series:
Seminal Images
April 25, 2007
The Native-Americana of Edward S. Curtis #5
Geronimo -- Apache (1905)
for the series:
The Native-Americana of Edward S. Curtis
April 24, 2007
They Were Collaborators #299
Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
April 23, 2007
David Halberstam Dead at 73
For those among us who despair at the dwlindling number of writers who can truly wield a sentence, some extremely sad news crosses the wires this evening: David Halberstam was killed earlier today in an automobile accident in Menlo Park, CA.
He was, as the obituaries would say, 73.
Of course, he was more than just another New Journalist (though he was among the finest of that species), and more than just a best-selling author with a Pulitzer all his own. Covering the earliest stages of the United States' invasion of South Vietnam for The New York Times, Halberstam's dispatches were so blunt in their portrait of the rapidly deteriorating Diem regime, and so at variance with Washington's own version of events, that then-President John F. Kennedy had the Times' publisher, Arthur Ochs 'Punch' Sulzberger, reassign his ass to the Paris desk (and that's where he went). But he went on. With 1965's The Making of a Quagmire and the majestic The Best and the Brightest (1972), Halberstam established himself as the only journalist in America who could grasp the full spectrum of that blood-soaked folly in Southeast Asia; seeing it as no less than the demonic spawn of third-rate academics fashioning themselves into an intellectual/managerial elite.
True, he wasn't the only journalist in Vietnam to openly challenge the official line in his reporting (in fact, the above photo, from 1963, shows Halberstam, on the left, with two of the others: Malcolm Browne of the Associated Press and fellow Times maverick Neil Sheehan), and you could never call him a radical with a straight face. But he always devoted himself, even when his work reached a nadir of relevance (his books on Baseball are . . . problematic), to getting the story in all its protean detail.
I think you would agree that the contrast to our present-day reportorial class . . . those J-school grads who content themselves with the magic tricks of CentCom handouts and Pentagon briefings . . . is incalculable.
for the series:
Obits
The Children of Lewis Hine #3
School store almost ready to open
(Lawton, OK; 1917)
for the series:
The Children of Lewis Hine
April 22, 2007
Collect 'Em All #27
Claudette Colbert
(No. 12 in a series of 50 from Player's Navy Cut Cigarettes)
Claudette Colbert was born in Paris on September 13th, 1905, and christened Claudette Cauchoin. In 1913 she moved with her family to America, and finished off her education in New York by attending an art school, where a chance meeting with a playwright resulted in a small part in a new production. This was in 1924 and she quickly won fame on Broadway. Her first film, a silent, was made between stage productions in New York, and after two talkies she was given a Hollywood contract. Among her latest successes are It Happened One Night, Cleopatra and Imitation of Life.
for the series:
Collect 'em All
Artists in Action #178
George Bernard Shaw holds up a wooden plank
for the series:
Artists in Action
Vietnam: Dramatis Personae #8
Tran Le Xuan (aka Madame Nhu)
for the series:
Vietnam - Dramatis Personae
April 21, 2007
The Art of the Centerfold #32
Pamela Anne Gordon
(Miss March, 1962)
for the series:
Art of the Centerfold
April 20, 2007
When Legends Gather #241
Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier, James Baldwin, Marlon Brando
and Harry Belafonte
for the series:
When Legends Gather
April 19, 2007
Seminal Image #644
People Who Died #35
Robert Harron in True Heart Susie
(D.W. Griffith; 1919)
(I never bought the 'accidental' shooting story. I'm amazed anyone ever did)
for the series:
People Who Died,
Seminal Images
Kitty Carlisle Hart Dies at 96
Seminal Image #643
They Were Collaborators #298
Kitty Carlisle Hart and Harpo Marx get cosy in A Night at the Opera.
(Sam Wood; 1935)
Ms. Hart's New York Times obituary can be found here.
for the series:
Obits,
Seminal Images,
They Were Collaborators
April 18, 2007
They Were Collaborators #297
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
Seminal Image #642
The Duellists
(Ridley Scott; 1977)
(stupendous thanks to Nate Bundy for this here image)
for the series:
Seminal Images
April 17, 2007
Relevant Quote #85
"I get drunk, I get mad, I get thrown from horses, I get all sorts of things.
But I don't get edited. I'd rather see my wife get fucked by the stableboy."
-- William Faulkner
for the series:
Relevant Quotes
Through the lens of Cyril Arapoff #4
A view from the steps of the National Gallery, looking towards St. Martin's Church.
for the series:
Through the Lens of Cyril Arapoff
The Art of the London Underground #16
Untitled by A. E. Cox; 1919
for the series:
Art of the London Underground
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood #11
Design for poster to advertise "The White Prophet".
for the series:
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood
April 16, 2007
When Legends Gather #240
Ingrid Bergman, Roberto Rosellini and family
for the series:
When Legends Gather
April 15, 2007
Artists in Action #177
Emil Jannings attends a memorial service for F.W. Murnau
for the series:
Artists in Action
April 14, 2007
Seminal Image #639
Sono otoko, kyôbô ni tsuki
(Violent Cop)
(Takeshi Kitano; 1990)
(immense thanks to Nate Bundy of Real Political Face Talk for this image!)
for the series:
Seminal Images
April 13, 2007
They Were Collaborators #295
Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina
(vast and empowering thanks to Jeff Duncanson for this image)
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
The Present Day Composer #41
Harlan Howard (1927-2002), and one of his interpreters
for the series:
The Present Day Composer
Collect 'Em All #26
Mae Clarke
No. 11 in a series of 50 from Players Navy Cut cigarettes.
Born on August 18th, 1910 in Philadelphia, Mae Clarke wished for a stage career even during her schooldays. She studied dancing as a child and later made use of her training by applying for a dancer's job in the chorus. After making a hit in vaudeville and night clubs she went on the legitimate stage, and in 1929 began her screen career. She was soon in demand, and in her recent films she has shown that she is a clever dramatic actress. These include Flaming Gold, Lady of the Boulevards and Straight is the Way.
for the series:
Collect 'em All
April 12, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut dead at 84
News this morning that Kurt Vonnegut had passed away, link to BBC.
for the series:
Obits
The Art of Science Fiction #6
Utopia 14 by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
(1954 Bantam Books paperback version of Player Piano)
for the series:
Art of Science Fiction
Seminal Image #638
Roscoe Lee Browne dies at 81
Topaz
(Alfred Hitchcock; 1969)
Roscoe Lee Browne's obituary can be found here.
for the series:
Obits,
Seminal Images
April 11, 2007
They Were Collaborators #294
The Brooklyn Dodgers (circa 1947)
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
April 10, 2007
When Legends Gather #238
Donald O'Connor and Buster Keaton
(muchas, muchas gracias to the great Jeff Duncanson for this image!)
for the series:
When Legends Gather
They Were Collaborators #293
King Oliver's Dixie Syncopaters
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
April 09, 2007
They Were Collaborators #292
David Lynch and Isabella Rossellini
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
Through the lens of Cyril Arapoff #3
Children in the East End of London
for the series:
Through the Lens of Cyril Arapoff
The Art of the London Underground #15
Woods by E. McKnight Kauffer; 1938
for the series:
Art of the London Underground
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood #10
The Gaffer
for the series:
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood
April 08, 2007
Seminal Image #637
Sho o suteyo machi e deyou
(Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets)
(Shuji Terayama; 1971)
for the series:
Seminal Images
The Children of Lewis Hine #2
Newsies at Skeeter Branch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
(1910)
for the series:
The Children of Lewis Hine
April 07, 2007
They Were Collaborators #291
The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie
(aka Flo and Eddie)
(aka Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan)
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
April 06, 2007
The Cool Hall of Fame #71:
Good Friday Edition
Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon)
for the series:
The Cool Hall of Fame
Movie of the Week #19
Nerone
(Nero; or The Fall of Rome)
(Luigi Maggi; 1909)
Produced by Turin's pioneering Film Ambrosio, Luigi Maggi's Nerone may not be as formally elaborate as the epics of Mario Caserini and Giovanni Pastrone . . . what is, in fact, extraordinary about Italian filmmaking in that period is how its scale vaulted in such a short amount of time; less than a decade . . . but it is a nascent example of the Italian film industry's preoccupation with Imperial Rome (in this case the Nero-Poppea saga), a model it would return to, far less artfully, several decades later with the endless Hercules/Ursus/Maciste/Atlas cycle.
for the series:
Movies of the Week
The Art of American Amusement #7
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
(Disneyland; 1955)
for the series:
Art of American Amusement
They Were Collaborators #290
Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
April 05, 2007
The Art of Cinema #207
Deranged
(Alan Ormsby, Bob Clark; 1974)
Most people know the work of Bob Clark, who was killed in a car crash on Wednesday morning, from either the junvenile (and for a Canadian film, hugely successful) sex comedy Porky's, or from his true career apex, his adaptation of Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story. But I have a soft spot for Deranged, his low budget fictionalized version of the case of Plainfield, Wisc. killer and cannibal Ed Gein, one of a number of horror titles Clark cut his teeth on, including Death Dream and the breakthrough slasher Black Christmas. Roberts Blossom's eerie performance and a soundtrack that includes Canuck country legend Stompin' Tom Connors make for singularly grimy experience, one that led Clark to have his name removed from the official credits.
It's enough to make you forget Loose Cannons and Baby Geniuses.
for the series:
Art of Cinema,
Obits
April 04, 2007
Artists in Action #173
Looking through a viewfinder, Terence Davies leans back; so as not to get too close.
for the series:
Artists in Action
Through the lens of Cyril Arapoff #2
Lighters and sailing barges in the Pool of London.
for the series:
Through the Lens of Cyril Arapoff
The Art of the London Underground #14
Wedding by Betty Swanwik; 1938
for the series:
Art of the London Underground
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood #9
A Strange Code
for the series:
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood
P is for Pulp #16
No Time for Marriage
(by David Charlson)
(Venus Books; 1951)
for the series:
P is for Pulp
April 03, 2007
The Art of Songwriting #16
You Tell Her I S-T-U-T-T-E-R
Music: Cliff Friend
Lyrics: Billy Rose
(Irving Berlin, Inc; 1921)
for the series:
Art of Songwriting
American Dry Spell #6
An Internal Revenue agent officially closes an illegal drinking establishment (1925)
for the series:
American Dry Spell
This Week's Lichtenstein #5
A Painting of the Statue of Liberty (1983)
for the series:
This Week's Lichtenstein
April 02, 2007
The Art of Jazz #36
Ellington Indigos
(Duke Ellington & His Orchestra)
(Columbia Records; 1958)
for the series:
Art of Jazz
April 01, 2007
The Art of Orthodoxy #1
The Transfiguration
(St. Demetrius' Church; Zhogatyn, Poland)
(15th Century)
for the series:
Art of Orthodoxy
Poets are both clean and warm
And most are far above the norm
Whether here or on the roam
Have a poet in every home! #18
Edna St. Vincent Millay
for the series:
Poets are both clean and warm
Thomas Nast's Tammany Hall #3
"Blindman's Bluff - How Long Will This Case Last?"
(Tammany officials go on trial)
(Harper's Weekly; 1871)
for the series:
Thomas Nast's Tammany Hall
They Were Collaborators #287
Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy
for the series:
They Were Collaborators
Dickens Art #7
"Stuck his hands in his skirt-pocket and swaggered round the corner."
(from Martin Chuzzlewit)
(Fred Barnard; 1843)
for the series:
Dickens Art
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