Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
In Memoriam : Nicol Williamson (1938-2011)
Scottish actor Nicol Williamson has died aged 73, reports The Daily Telegraph.
According to his son Luke, the stage and screen actor died of esophageal cancer on December 16.
He was best known for his roles in Excalibur and The Exorcist III, as well as a long and much acclaimed stage career.
He was best known for his roles in Excalibur and The Exorcist III, as well as a long and much acclaimed stage career.
Williamson was a star turn as Merlin in John Boorman's dark folk fantasy Excalibur, in which he was reluctantly cast alongside former lover Helen Mirren. Boorman's mischief-making paid off: the pair share the best scenes in the film, with Mirren's Morgana and Williamson's wizard playing wittily off against each other. Williamson and Mirren had worked together once before, although much less auspiciously, in a radical staging of Macbeth.
The Hamilton-born actor made his name in John Osbourne's Inadmissible Evidence for which he received great acclaim and, later, a Tony award on Broadway. Osborne later described him as the greatest actor since Brando, a claim another playwright, Samuel Beckett, would corroborate. He was an actor, said Beckett, "touched by genius".
Richard Lester's Robin And Marian, brought a much-valued opportunity to work with Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn, and his portrayal of a cocaine addicted Sherlock Holmes in Nicholas Mayer's The Seven Per-cent Solution is one of the best interpretation of the character ever.
The actor, who was known as a straighforward, private man, leaves his son, Luke. "He was the most honest, funny and intelligent man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing," writes Luke on Williamson's official website. "He was my father and words cannot adequately express how proud I am of him."
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
James Bond 50° Anniversary : the introduction of James Bond
The character James Bond was introduced towards, but not at, the beginning of the film in a "now-famous nightclub sequence featuring Sylvia Trench", to whom he makes his "immortal introduction".
The introduction to the character in Le Cercle at Les Ambassadeurs, an upmarket gambling club, is derived from Bond's introduction in the first novel, Casino Royale which Fleming had used because "skill at gambling and knowledge of how to behave in a casino were seen...as attributes of a gentleman". After losing a hand of Chemin de Fer to Bond, Trench asks his name. There is the "most important gesture [in]...the way he lights his cigarette before giving her the satisfaction of an answer. 'Bond, James Bond'." Once Connery says his line, John Barry's Bond theme plays "and creates an indelible link between music and character."
In the short scene introducing Bond, there are portrayed "qualities of strength, action, reaction, violence - and this elegant, slightly brutal gambler with the quizzical sneer we see before us who answers a woman when he's good and ready." Raymond Benson, author of the continuation Bond novels, has stated that as the music fades up on the scene, "we have ourselves a piece of classic cinema".
Following the release of Dr. No, the quote "Bond ... James Bond," became a catch phrase that entered the lexicon of Western popular culture: writers Cork and Scivally said of the introduction in Dr. No that the "signature introduction would become the most famous and loved film line ever". In 2001 it was voted as the "best-loved one-liner in cinema" by British cinema goers. In 2005, it was honoured as the 22nd greatest quotation in cinema history by the American Film Institute as part of their 100 Years Series.
James Bond 50° Anniversary : yesterday...50 years ago
...when it all started...
This year marks the 50° anniversary of James Bond films, yesterday 50 years ago Dr. No shooting started in Jamaica.
The "Dr. No" crew arrived in Jamaica on Sunday 14th January and began filming on Tuesday 16th January 1962 at Kingston, Oncaros, Montego Bay and the Palisadoes Airport.
Sean Connery’s first day as James Bond was spent at the airport, and the afternoon was spent shooting the phone-booth scene in which Bond discovers his chauffeur is a double-agent.
Terence Young filmed several takes and caught one close-up where Connery was glaring intensely at actor Reggie Carter. Young loved the shot and later recalled that it was “the beginning of Bond”. After the first day’s work, the crew had secured footage that would last just under two minutes in the final cut.
Much use was also made of local talent to play smaller roles.
Dolores Keator played Strangways’ secretary Mary Prescott because she owned the house that the crew were shooting in. The bartender seen at Puss-Feller’s club was a relative of costume designer Tessa Welborn.
Other local amateur actors took the roles of the Chief of Police and the construction worker, who watches the car carrying the thugs pursuing Bond as it careens over the edge of the cliff.
Marguerite LeWars was serving as the crowned Miss Jamaica when 007 came calling. She landed the role of Dr. No’s photographer after production crew encountered her at Kingston airport as they were preparing for filming, where LeWars was an employee at the time.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Skyfall update : Thomas Newman on board
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced yesterday that composer Thomas Newman will score the 23rd James Bond film, SKYFALL. “We are delighted to confirm that Thomas Newman will score SKYFALL. Thomas is one of the most respected and successful composers, he has a long history of working with Sam Mendes and we look forward to welcoming him into the Bond family,” commented Michael. G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
“I’m incredibly excited to be working with Sam again - commented Newman - It’s a real thrill to be able to collaborate on something as special as a Bond movie.”
Monday, January 09, 2012
Sunday, January 08, 2012
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