334. La Belle et la Bête
Fairytales transcend not just generations but cultures. Which may explain why La Belle et la Bête exists in so many guises and confronts so many issues.
Tag Archives: Warner Brothers
289. Meet Me in St. Louis
This hit from 1944 delivered one of the all-time classic Yuletide songs – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – as well as redefined the musical genre.
270. Bonnie and Clyde
When great art heralds great change, it often experiences a difficult birth. Bonnie and Clyde is a seminal moment in American film that almost never happened.
259. THX-1138
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas was an avant-garde filmmaker whose sole interest was in making highly experimental short films.
240. The Maltese Falcon
John Huston’s film of Dashiell Hammett’s classic novel was the third adaptation. How did he succeed where others had failed?
216. Great Scenes – Part Two
What makes for a great scene? Performance? Conflict? Dialogue? Visuals? Music? Combine them and you have atomic weight.
207. Jerry Maguire
“Show me the money.” “Shut up, you had me at hello.” For such a quotable film, Jerry Maguire’s most important line is “Fewer clients. Less money.”
158. The Big Sleep
How can Howard Hawks’ adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s labyrinthine detective novel be heralded as a classic when it is impossible to follow?
155. Jazz in Film
If jazz really is the authentic American art form, why are there so few great jazz movies? No matter, at least there are dozens of great jazz soundtracks.
143. The Adventures of Robin Hood
The legend has endured for 500 years and Hollywood has filmed it a dozen times. But Errol Flynn is still the only Robin Hood.
American Trailers
This extended video-essay charts the development and possible future of the America movie trailer. Beginning in 1912, taking in the coming of television and suggesting where it might go in the age of the internet.
117. Good Will Hunting
Written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to launch their acting careers, the studio wanted Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
88. Bullitt
With Steve McQueen in the title role, a legendary car-chase and a score by Lalo Schifrin, Peter Yates’ Bullitt still oozes as much cool now as it did in 1968.
70. Casablanca
“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Casablanca has more quotable lines than any other movie, but it’s the visual design that gives the film its thematic resonance.
33. The Wild Bunch
Sam Peckinpah’s masterpiece stands as a landmark western, announcing as it did the beginning of the end to the quintessential American genre.
28. Max Steiner
Max Steiner’s credits include some of the most popular films of all time. And while his influence is still heard today, his mentors echo down from the 19th century.
25. Scarface
The original Scarface was released in 1932. In 1983, Brian De Palma directed Al Pacino in an update scripted by Oliver Stone. Are ‘remakes’ always bad?
