White Bird.The repeatedly delayed film White Bird, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R.J. Palacio, follows an elderly Jewish woman looking back on her youth in France during World War II, particularly the time she spent hiding from the Nazis. The framing is odd: She is telling this tale to impart a lesson to her grandson, a bully character from a different, earlier novel by Palacio, Wonder. Both stories are part of a wider fictive universe authored by Palacio, the “World of Wonder,” which comprises spinoff books, film adaptations, and merchandise, all branded with the poptimistic slogan/hashtag “Choose Kind.” A friendly schoolmate refusing to persecute White Bird’s protagonist for being Jewish is implicitly an example of “choosing kind,” divorced from any historically based understanding of solidarity or resistance to fascism. More problematically, White Bird has as its epigraph George Santayama’s famous quote “Those who can’t...
- 11/28/2023
- MUBI
Fifteen years have passed since Penélope Cruz broke new ground as the first Spanish woman to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Although her performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s Spanish-language film “Volver” was passed over in favor of Helen Mirren’s in “The Queen,” she bounced back two years later by triumphing in the supporting category for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Now, based on her work in Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers” (their seventh collaboration), she may have another shot at lead glory. If she does land in the lineup, she will join an exclusive club as the fifth leading lady to be recognized for two non-English language performances.
The first woman to accomplish this feat was Sophia Loren, who was nominated for “Marriage Italian Style” (1965) after winning for “Two Women” (1962). Both are Italian-language films directed by Vittorio De Sica. After losing on her second outing to Julie Andrews (“Mary Poppins...
The first woman to accomplish this feat was Sophia Loren, who was nominated for “Marriage Italian Style” (1965) after winning for “Two Women” (1962). Both are Italian-language films directed by Vittorio De Sica. After losing on her second outing to Julie Andrews (“Mary Poppins...
- 2/6/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
by Nathaniel R
Have you either of these classics of mid 60s international cinema? In one of the strangest timetables in Oscar history, both of these two film's leading ladies were honored with Best Actress Oscar nominations but neither in the year their film was honored: Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Style) was nominated for Best Actress in 1964; Ida Kaminska (The Shop on Main Street) was nominated for Best Actress in 1966; inbetween those Oscar years the films themselves were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of 1965 (now called Best International Feature Film).
I was thrilled to rejoin Juan Carlos Ojano on "One Inch Barrier" to discuss 1965's Best international race, a strong vintage, which also included the family drama Blood on the Land (Greece), the very horny Dear John (Sweden), and the supernatural Kwaidan (Japan). We discuss Best Actress, Oscar's resistance to Asian cinema, sex in cinema, and Sophia Loren's magnetism.
Have you either of these classics of mid 60s international cinema? In one of the strangest timetables in Oscar history, both of these two film's leading ladies were honored with Best Actress Oscar nominations but neither in the year their film was honored: Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Style) was nominated for Best Actress in 1964; Ida Kaminska (The Shop on Main Street) was nominated for Best Actress in 1966; inbetween those Oscar years the films themselves were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of 1965 (now called Best International Feature Film).
I was thrilled to rejoin Juan Carlos Ojano on "One Inch Barrier" to discuss 1965's Best international race, a strong vintage, which also included the family drama Blood on the Land (Greece), the very horny Dear John (Sweden), and the supernatural Kwaidan (Japan). We discuss Best Actress, Oscar's resistance to Asian cinema, sex in cinema, and Sophia Loren's magnetism.
- 10/22/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
“I wanted to tell this story because it asks so many questions on so many levels,” admits acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland about why she wanted to direct her latest film, the Czech/Polish/Irish/Slovak co-production “Charlatan.” “It’s an intimate story with an epic scope,” she says. Watch our exclusive video interview with Holland above.
“Charlatan” is based on the true story of Czech healer Jan Mikolášek, who dedicated his life to treat the sick using medicinal plants. Throughout the war and turmoil of the 20th century he has to choose between his calling and his conscience. The film stars acclaimed Czech actor Ivan Trojan in a stunning performance as Mikolášek, alongside his real-life son Josef Trojan as the younger Mikolášek. The film co-stars Czech matinee idol Juraj Loj as the healer’s devoted assistant František Palko.
See 2021 Oscars shortlists in 9 categories: International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Original Song,...
“Charlatan” is based on the true story of Czech healer Jan Mikolášek, who dedicated his life to treat the sick using medicinal plants. Throughout the war and turmoil of the 20th century he has to choose between his calling and his conscience. The film stars acclaimed Czech actor Ivan Trojan in a stunning performance as Mikolášek, alongside his real-life son Josef Trojan as the younger Mikolášek. The film co-stars Czech matinee idol Juraj Loj as the healer’s devoted assistant František Palko.
See 2021 Oscars shortlists in 9 categories: International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Original Song,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
4 things that happened on this day, December 31st, in showbiz history
1992 Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved and the Czech Republic and Slovakia both emerge from the split. Which means, for our purposes here at Tfe that they started all new Oscar submission histories ;) Czechoslovakia had had six Oscar nominations and two wins from 23 submissions the bulk of which were in Czech. Interestingly enough just after the split in 1993 only Slovakia submitted to the Oscars while the Czech Republic took a year off. The Czech Repubic has since won one Oscar (Kolya) and had two additional nominations (Divided We Fall and Zelary) and a finalist (The Painted Bird last season). The Czech submission this year is Charlatan. Slovakia has yet to be nominated though they have a Holocaust drama this year, The Auschwitz Report... ...
1992 Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved and the Czech Republic and Slovakia both emerge from the split. Which means, for our purposes here at Tfe that they started all new Oscar submission histories ;) Czechoslovakia had had six Oscar nominations and two wins from 23 submissions the bulk of which were in Czech. Interestingly enough just after the split in 1993 only Slovakia submitted to the Oscars while the Czech Republic took a year off. The Czech Repubic has since won one Oscar (Kolya) and had two additional nominations (Divided We Fall and Zelary) and a finalist (The Painted Bird last season). The Czech submission this year is Charlatan. Slovakia has yet to be nominated though they have a Holocaust drama this year, The Auschwitz Report... ...
- 12/31/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Bungalow (Ulrich Köhler)
Ulrich Köhler remains underseen—even by the standards of Berlin School brethren Christian Petzold and Maren Ade—and a 4K restoration of his 2002 debut Bungalow comes at the right time: its story of isolation, frayed connections, and romantic infatuation foreground an only idyllic-seeming summer getaway. 18 years on, not a shred of it feels dated or resolved, down to a conclusion that puts one in mind of ’70s American classics.
Where to Stream: Grasshopper Film
Czechoslovak New Wave
A period of creative fervor and political deconstruction like few others in cinema, Czechoslovak New Wave is now getting a spotlight on The Criterion Channel. Selections includes Black Peter (Miloš Forman,...
Bungalow (Ulrich Köhler)
Ulrich Köhler remains underseen—even by the standards of Berlin School brethren Christian Petzold and Maren Ade—and a 4K restoration of his 2002 debut Bungalow comes at the right time: its story of isolation, frayed connections, and romantic infatuation foreground an only idyllic-seeming summer getaway. 18 years on, not a shred of it feels dated or resolved, down to a conclusion that puts one in mind of ’70s American classics.
Where to Stream: Grasshopper Film
Czechoslovak New Wave
A period of creative fervor and political deconstruction like few others in cinema, Czechoslovak New Wave is now getting a spotlight on The Criterion Channel. Selections includes Black Peter (Miloš Forman,...
- 7/3/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
It sounds almost too perfect: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s entertainer. Of course, who else could it be, really? It is so seemingly predestined, in fact, that Hanks’s first onscreen appearance as Fred Rogers elicits knowing laughter from the audience. Yes, Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers looks and sounds exactly how you would imagine. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, however, is much more than an obvious biopic. It’s not really a biopic at all. Nor is it a rehash of 2018’s much-heralded documentary profile of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be MyNeighbor?...
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
It sounds almost too perfect: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s entertainer. Of course, who else could it be, really? It is so seemingly predestined, in fact, that Hanks’s first onscreen appearance as Fred Rogers elicits knowing laughter from the audience. Yes, Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers looks and sounds exactly how you would imagine. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, however, is much more than an obvious biopic. It’s not really a biopic at all. Nor is it a rehash of 2018’s much-heralded documentary profile of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be MyNeighbor?...
- 2/7/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Czech filmmaker Václav Marhoul has signed with CAA.
Marhoul’s most recent film, The Painted Bird, premiered in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where it won the Cinema for Unicef Award and is the Czech Republic’s international film entry at the 2020 Oscars.
The Holocaust pic, based on the controversial Joseph Kosinski novel follows a young Jewish boy in Eastern Europe who seeks refuge during World War II where he encounters many different characters. The pic has been in the works for quite some time through various re-writes, but Marhoul, who also wrote and produced The Painted Bird, got the project off the ground with a cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Julian Sands and Udo Kier.
IFC picked up U.S. rights for The Painted Bird out of its Tiff premiere and will open the movie next year.
Marhoul previously directed Tobruck and Smart Philip.
Marhoul’s most recent film, The Painted Bird, premiered in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where it won the Cinema for Unicef Award and is the Czech Republic’s international film entry at the 2020 Oscars.
The Holocaust pic, based on the controversial Joseph Kosinski novel follows a young Jewish boy in Eastern Europe who seeks refuge during World War II where he encounters many different characters. The pic has been in the works for quite some time through various re-writes, but Marhoul, who also wrote and produced The Painted Bird, got the project off the ground with a cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Julian Sands and Udo Kier.
IFC picked up U.S. rights for The Painted Bird out of its Tiff premiere and will open the movie next year.
Marhoul previously directed Tobruck and Smart Philip.
- 11/22/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Hard-hitting Venice Film Festival competition movie The Painted Bird has been selected by the Czech Film and Television Academy as the Czech Republic’s international Oscar entry.
Described as an “evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II,” director-producer Václav Marhoul’s black-and-white 35mm Holocaust feature follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and The Boy is on his own, wandering through the countryside, from village to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, The Boy suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants and he witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosinski (Being There), the dark drama prompted a number of walk-outs at Toronto and Venice due to its tough subject matter.
Described as an “evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II,” director-producer Václav Marhoul’s black-and-white 35mm Holocaust feature follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and The Boy is on his own, wandering through the countryside, from village to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, The Boy suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants and he witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosinski (Being There), the dark drama prompted a number of walk-outs at Toronto and Venice due to its tough subject matter.
- 9/16/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a reason director Jan Nemec’s name isn’t immediately conjures in superficial conversations on the Czech New Wave, despite his haunting 1964 debut Diamonds of the Night being one of the movement’s first major offerings. Described as “the movement’s bitterest aesthete” and by film historian Peter Hames as the “enfant terrible” of his peers, Nemec had neither the eventual Hollywood success of colleagues such as Milos Forman or Ivan Passer, nor international awards glory such as the Oscar winning The Shop on Main Street (1965) from Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos. Such is the price to pay for the revel.…...
- 5/7/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Despite its critical acclaim, Robin Campillo’s “Bpm (Beats per Minute),” was left out of the Best Foreign Language Film line-up at this year’s Golden Globes. While that snub was shocking, a Golden Globes bid is not essential for an Oscar win. Indeed, since the Golden Globes introduced this category in 1965, 19 of the 51 Academy Awards winners for Best Foreign Language Film were snubbed for this precursor prize:
1965: “The Shop on Main Street” (Czechoslovakia)
1971: “The Garden of the Finzi Continis (Italy)
1975: “Dersu Uzala” (Soviet Union)
1976: “Black and White in Color” (Ivory Coast)
1979: “The Tin Drum” (West Germany)
1980: “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” (Soviet Union)
1981: “Mephisto” (Hungary)
1982: “To Begin Again” (Spain)
1987: “Babette’s Feast” (Denmark)
1990: “Journey of Hope” (Switzerland)
1991: “Mediterraneo” (Italy)
1993: “Belle Époque” (Spain)
1994: “Burnt by the Sun” (Russia)
1995: “Antonia’s Line” (The Netherlands)
1997: “Character” (The Netherlands...
1965: “The Shop on Main Street” (Czechoslovakia)
1971: “The Garden of the Finzi Continis (Italy)
1975: “Dersu Uzala” (Soviet Union)
1976: “Black and White in Color” (Ivory Coast)
1979: “The Tin Drum” (West Germany)
1980: “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” (Soviet Union)
1981: “Mephisto” (Hungary)
1982: “To Begin Again” (Spain)
1987: “Babette’s Feast” (Denmark)
1990: “Journey of Hope” (Switzerland)
1991: “Mediterraneo” (Italy)
1993: “Belle Époque” (Spain)
1994: “Burnt by the Sun” (Russia)
1995: “Antonia’s Line” (The Netherlands)
1997: “Character” (The Netherlands...
- 12/13/2017
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Icy cold but so heart-warming, this funny study of three generations of a family brings out our best feelings as we partake in the liberation of a sixty-seven-year-old widow as she finally manages to shake off the influence of her selfish sons in order to begin a new life.
When Hana, played by the well-loved actress, Zuzana Kronerova, finds a group of eccentric ice swimmers, a new world opens to her and her grandson who is facing bullying at school and self-occupied parents at home.
Is there an age limit to changing your life? Are you ever too old or too young?And once you decide to go ahead with it, your nearest and dearests’ reactions, especially their efforts dissuade in order to protect their own fragile balance in life become apparent in Bohdan Sláma’s new tragicomedy in which a sixty-seven-year-old widow finally manages to shake off the influence...
When Hana, played by the well-loved actress, Zuzana Kronerova, finds a group of eccentric ice swimmers, a new world opens to her and her grandson who is facing bullying at school and self-occupied parents at home.
Is there an age limit to changing your life? Are you ever too old or too young?And once you decide to go ahead with it, your nearest and dearests’ reactions, especially their efforts dissuade in order to protect their own fragile balance in life become apparent in Bohdan Sláma’s new tragicomedy in which a sixty-seven-year-old widow finally manages to shake off the influence...
- 11/12/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
No longer out of reach, Marcel Pagnol’s stunning 3-feature saga of love and honor in a French seaport is one of the great movie experiences — and the most emotional workout this viewer has seen in years. The tradition of greatness in the French sound cinema began with gems like these, starring legendary actors that were sometimes billed only with their last names: Raimu, Charpin. Those two, Pierre Fresnay and Orane Demazis are simply unforgettable — it’s 6.5 hours of dramatic wonderment.
Marcel Pagnol’s The Marseille Trilogy
Marius * Fanny * César
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 881-884
1931 – 1936 / B&W / 1:19 flat full frame, 1:19 flat full frame, 1:37 flat full frame / 127 * 127 * 141 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 20, 2017 / 79.96
Starring: Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Demazis, Fernand Charpin, Alida Rouffe, Paul Dullac, Robert Vattier, André Fouché.
Cinematography: Ted Pahle, Nicolas Toporkoff, Willy Faktorovitch
Original Music: ?, Vincent Scotto, Vincent Scotto
Written by Marcel Pagnol
Produced by Ted Pahle,...
Marcel Pagnol’s The Marseille Trilogy
Marius * Fanny * César
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 881-884
1931 – 1936 / B&W / 1:19 flat full frame, 1:19 flat full frame, 1:37 flat full frame / 127 * 127 * 141 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 20, 2017 / 79.96
Starring: Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Demazis, Fernand Charpin, Alida Rouffe, Paul Dullac, Robert Vattier, André Fouché.
Cinematography: Ted Pahle, Nicolas Toporkoff, Willy Faktorovitch
Original Music: ?, Vincent Scotto, Vincent Scotto
Written by Marcel Pagnol
Produced by Ted Pahle,...
- 6/16/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Oscar-winning actor to receive award and introduce new David Lowery film.
Casey Affleck will receive the festival president’s award at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30 - July 8).
The actor, who won an Oscar for Manchester By The Sea this year, will also introduce the cinematic poem A Ghost Story at the Czech Republic-based event, together with writer/director David Lowery.
The festival president’s award is given to actors, directors, and producers who have contributed to the development of contemporary world cinema.
Kviff President Jiří Bartoška said: “We regard Casey Affleck as one of the most intriguing actors in contemporary American film and are honored to welcome the filmmakers during the presentation of A Ghost Story.”
Last month it was announced that the festival would also celebrate the work of Ken Loach, Paul Laverty, James Newton Howard, Václav Vorlíček, Kenji Mizoguchi and Jiří Brdečka.
Further events taking place at Karlovy Vary this...
Casey Affleck will receive the festival president’s award at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30 - July 8).
The actor, who won an Oscar for Manchester By The Sea this year, will also introduce the cinematic poem A Ghost Story at the Czech Republic-based event, together with writer/director David Lowery.
The festival president’s award is given to actors, directors, and producers who have contributed to the development of contemporary world cinema.
Kviff President Jiří Bartoška said: “We regard Casey Affleck as one of the most intriguing actors in contemporary American film and are honored to welcome the filmmakers during the presentation of A Ghost Story.”
Last month it was announced that the festival would also celebrate the work of Ken Loach, Paul Laverty, James Newton Howard, Václav Vorlíček, Kenji Mizoguchi and Jiří Brdečka.
Further events taking place at Karlovy Vary this...
- 5/15/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
Director Ken Loach, his longtime writing partner Paul Laverty, and composer James Newton Howard will receive top honors at this summer’s 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Loach and Laverty, the team behind “I, Daniel Blake,” will be awarded with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema. The festival called Loach and Laverty “pioneers of British social realist film with a humanitarian message.”
Read More: 2016 Karlovy Vary Iff Awards Winners: ‘It’s Not the Time of My Life’ Takes Top Prize
Howard, who has composed the scores to films like “Pretty Woman,” “Batman Begins,” and “The Hunger Games,” will also receive the Crystal Globe, and is set to take part in an opening night concert at Hotel Thermal that he will personally conduct. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra will perform the world premiere of his score for the 2018 sequel to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Loach and Laverty, the team behind “I, Daniel Blake,” will be awarded with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema. The festival called Loach and Laverty “pioneers of British social realist film with a humanitarian message.”
Read More: 2016 Karlovy Vary Iff Awards Winners: ‘It’s Not the Time of My Life’ Takes Top Prize
Howard, who has composed the scores to films like “Pretty Woman,” “Batman Begins,” and “The Hunger Games,” will also receive the Crystal Globe, and is set to take part in an opening night concert at Hotel Thermal that he will personally conduct. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra will perform the world premiere of his score for the 2018 sequel to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
- 4/25/2017
- by Allison Picurro
- Indiewire
Kenji Mizoguchi, Jirí Brdecka tributes planned for 52nd edition.
The 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30 - July 8) will present a Crystal Globe for outstanding contribution to world cinema to British director Ken Loach.
The award will be shared with his long-time screenwriter Paul Laverty. The pair have collaborated on twelve feature films and two shorts, including The Wind That Shakes The Barley and more recently the Palme d’Or and Bafta-winning I, Daniel Blake.
Loach has a long and fruitful relationship with the Karlovy Vary festival. In 1968, his feature debut Poor Cow won a special jury prize and best actress for its star Carol White. A year later, his second film Kes won the festival’s Crystal Globe, and he has been a guest at the festival on numerous occasions since.
Poor Cow
Karlovy Vary will also celebrate the work of composer James Newton Howard, whose credits include Pretty Woman, The Sixth Sense, [link...
The 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30 - July 8) will present a Crystal Globe for outstanding contribution to world cinema to British director Ken Loach.
The award will be shared with his long-time screenwriter Paul Laverty. The pair have collaborated on twelve feature films and two shorts, including The Wind That Shakes The Barley and more recently the Palme d’Or and Bafta-winning I, Daniel Blake.
Loach has a long and fruitful relationship with the Karlovy Vary festival. In 1968, his feature debut Poor Cow won a special jury prize and best actress for its star Carol White. A year later, his second film Kes won the festival’s Crystal Globe, and he has been a guest at the festival on numerous occasions since.
Poor Cow
Karlovy Vary will also celebrate the work of composer James Newton Howard, whose credits include Pretty Woman, The Sixth Sense, [link...
- 4/25/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Director Ken Loach, composer James Newton Howard, director Kenji Mizoguchi and cinematographer Jiří Brdečka will be the subject of tributes at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Kviff organizers announced on Tuesday. The annual festival, which takes place in the spa town outside of Prague, Czech Republic, will also premiere a restored version of Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos’ 1966 film “The Shop on Main Street,” which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Those tributes are among the first batch of programs announced for the festival, which will run from June 30 through July 9. Also Read: Ken...
- 4/25/2017
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Episode Links Past Wish List Episodes Episode 63.9 – Disc 3 – Top Criterion Blu-ray Upgrades for 2011 Episode 110 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2012 Episode 136 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2013 Episode 146 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2014 Episode 154 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2015 Episode 169 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2016 DVD to BluRay Wish Lists Aaron: The Shop on Main Street Pickup on South Street Arik: Cleo from 5 to 7 Berlin Alexanderplatz Mark: Taste of Cherry Sisters David: Do the Right Thing Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Ld to Blu-Ray Wish Lists Aaron: Blue Velvet (Announced as Ld Spine #219 but never released) Early Hitchcock Box (Sabotage, The Secret Agent, Young and Innocent, The Lodger, The Man Who Knew Too Much) Arik: A Night at the Opera Singin’ in the Rain Mark: 2001: A Space Odyssey The Producers David: I Am Cuba Letter From an Unknown Woman...
- 12/30/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Boo! It's "Oscar Horrors". Each evening we'll look back on a horror-connected nomination until Halloween. Here's Dancin' Dan on a spooky Japanese beauty...
Have any of you ever seen Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan? I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't. Even among Japanese films, it's not much talked about today, though it deserves to be. Kwaidan is a rarity in so many ways - an omnibus film made by one director, a truly artful horror film, a groundbreaking work of art. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1965 (losing to the heartrending The Shop on Main Street from Czechoslovakia), and it's a bit hard to imagine it getting that far today, even with its arthouse bona fides like a Special Jury Prize at Cannes...
Have any of you ever seen Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan? I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't. Even among Japanese films, it's not much talked about today, though it deserves to be. Kwaidan is a rarity in so many ways - an omnibus film made by one director, a truly artful horror film, a groundbreaking work of art. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1965 (losing to the heartrending The Shop on Main Street from Czechoslovakia), and it's a bit hard to imagine it getting that far today, even with its arthouse bona fides like a Special Jury Prize at Cannes...
- 10/27/2016
- by Denny
- FilmExperience
Festival reveals guests headed to Karlovy Vary next month.
Us actor Willem Dafoe and writer-director Charlie Kaufman are to be honoured at the 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) (July 1-9) on its opening night .
Dafoe is to receive the Crystal Globe for outstanding contribution to world cinema and the festival will screen his performances in Abel Ferrara’s Pasolini and Martin Scorese’s The Last Temptation of Christ.
Kaufman, who won an Oscar for his script for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, will receive the president’s award and the festival will screen animation Anomalisa, which he co-directed with Duke Johnson.
As previously announced, the festival set in the Czech Republic spa town will open with the world premiere of Second World War thriller Anthropoid, with actors Jamie Dornan and Toby Jones, Aňa Geislerová, Alena Mihulová, Václav Neužil and Marcin Dorocinski in attendence alongside writer-director Sean Ellis.
Guests
Other...
Us actor Willem Dafoe and writer-director Charlie Kaufman are to be honoured at the 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) (July 1-9) on its opening night .
Dafoe is to receive the Crystal Globe for outstanding contribution to world cinema and the festival will screen his performances in Abel Ferrara’s Pasolini and Martin Scorese’s The Last Temptation of Christ.
Kaufman, who won an Oscar for his script for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, will receive the president’s award and the festival will screen animation Anomalisa, which he co-directed with Duke Johnson.
As previously announced, the festival set in the Czech Republic spa town will open with the world premiere of Second World War thriller Anthropoid, with actors Jamie Dornan and Toby Jones, Aňa Geislerová, Alena Mihulová, Václav Neužil and Marcin Dorocinski in attendence alongside writer-director Sean Ellis.
Guests
Other...
- 6/21/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Festival also to host Frank Daniel tribute with workshop and screening.
Amazon Studios’ in-demand head of motion picture production Ted Hope (21 Grams) will deliver a talk at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1 – 9) in which he will discuss his perspective on the future of film.
Karlovy Vary executive director Krystof Mucha said: “Ted has already been to the festival twice – once as a member of the Main Jury and once as a producer of a competition film The Collaborator. When we met at Sundance this year, we agreed it would be wonderful to have him at Karlovy Vary as Amazon Studios’ chief producer so that this innovative project can be introduced in the Czech Republic.
“However, Ted would also like to use the unique opportunity to meet dozens of European distributors and individually discuss a new Amazon strategy that keeps them in the game.”
The voracious and rapidly-expanding Amazon Studios was in Cannes this year with...
Amazon Studios’ in-demand head of motion picture production Ted Hope (21 Grams) will deliver a talk at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1 – 9) in which he will discuss his perspective on the future of film.
Karlovy Vary executive director Krystof Mucha said: “Ted has already been to the festival twice – once as a member of the Main Jury and once as a producer of a competition film The Collaborator. When we met at Sundance this year, we agreed it would be wonderful to have him at Karlovy Vary as Amazon Studios’ chief producer so that this innovative project can be introduced in the Czech Republic.
“However, Ted would also like to use the unique opportunity to meet dozens of European distributors and individually discuss a new Amazon strategy that keeps them in the game.”
The voracious and rapidly-expanding Amazon Studios was in Cannes this year with...
- 6/10/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Above: Us poster for Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1965).As the 53rd New York Film Festival ends today, I thought I would go back half a century and take a look at the 3rd edition of the festival. Curated by Amos Vogel and Richard Roud, the then fledgling fest comprised 17 new features, 6 retrospective selections (ranging from Feuillade’s 1915 Les vampires to Godard’s 1960 Le petit soldat), and a number of shorts or demi-features (including Chris Marker’s The Koumiko Mystery). The main slate was chock-full of masterpieces (Gertrud, Alphaville, Charulata) and films by masters (Franju, Visconti, Kurosawa) and young turks on the rise (Straub, Bellocchio, Forman, Penn, Skolimowski). And there is only one film in the list—Laurence L. Kent’s Canadian indie Caressed—that I had never heard of before.In his introduction to the festival catalog Amos Vogel wrote:“Several fascinating, contradictory facts stand out in the 1965 New York film scene.
- 10/11/2015
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2016: 'Viva' with Héctor Medina. Multicultural Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2016 submissions Nearly ten years ago, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences changed a key rule regarding entries for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar;* since then, things have gotten quite colorful. Just yesterday, Sept. 16, '15, Ireland submitted Paddy Breathnach's Viva – a Cuban-set drama spoken in Spanish. And why not? To name a couple more “multicultural and multinational” entries this year alone: China's submission, with dialogue in Mandarin and Mongolian, is Wolf Totem, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud – a Frenchman. And Germany's entry, Labyrinth of Lies, was directed by Giulio Ricciarelli, who happens to be a German-based, Italian-born stage and TV actor. 'Viva': Sexual identity in 21st-century Cuba Executive produced by Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), Viva tells the story of an 18-year-old Havana drag-club worker,...
- 9/17/2015
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Emboldened by such international successes as Jan Kadar’s The Shop on Main Street (1965) and Jiri Menzel’s Closely Watched Trains (1965), to name just a couple, Eastern European directors became more daring in both scale and viewpoint. Budapest native Miklós Jancsó’s Hungarian-ussr coproduction was expected (by Soviet officials, at least) to be a straightforward hymn to proletariat heroism. But... >> - Dennis Harvey -Dennis Harvey...
- 8/27/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Emboldened by such international successes as Jan Kadar’s The Shop on Main Street (1965) and Jiri Menzel’s Closely Watched Trains (1965), to name just a couple, Eastern European directors became more daring in both scale and viewpoint. Budapest native Miklós Jancsó’s Hungarian-ussr coproduction was expected (by Soviet officials, at least) to be a straightforward hymn to proletariat heroism. But... >> - Dennis Harvey -Dennis Harvey...
- 8/27/2015
- Keyframe
Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos’s 1965 film The Shop on Main Street, which was the first film from Eastern Europe to win an Academy Award, celebrates it’s 50th anniversary this year. The Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, CA will be holding a special one-night-only showing of the 128-minute drama on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 7:30 pm. Scheduled to appear in person are film director Ivan Passer and Michal Sedlacek, Consul General of Czech Republic in Los Angeles.
From the press release:
The Shop On Main Street (1965) was the first film from Eastern Europe ever to win an Academy Award. Fifty years ago this powerful Czech drama won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. Directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, it was one of the key films in the Czech New Wave that flourished in the 1960s, before the Soviet invasion of 1968 stamped out this vital movement. Josef Kroner...
From the press release:
The Shop On Main Street (1965) was the first film from Eastern Europe ever to win an Academy Award. Fifty years ago this powerful Czech drama won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. Directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, it was one of the key films in the Czech New Wave that flourished in the 1960s, before the Soviet invasion of 1968 stamped out this vital movement. Josef Kroner...
- 6/6/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Set in 1960s Poland, Pawel Pawlikowski’s black-and-white drama Ida focuses on faith and identity after family secrets are revealed. Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) is a young orphan brought up in a convent preparing to take her vows to become a nun. When told she must visit her aunt, her only living relative, Anna discovers she’s Jewish, her name is actually Ida and her parents were killed in WWII. Anna/Ida and her aunt embark on a journey to learn more about the family’s history and discover the truth about what happened.
The film landed on the Oscar shortlist for best foreign-language film and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category.
A number of foreign films focused on WWII have done well at the Oscars throughout the years. Ones based on real events include The Counterfeiters (2007), about the Nazis’ attempt to...
Managing Editor
Set in 1960s Poland, Pawel Pawlikowski’s black-and-white drama Ida focuses on faith and identity after family secrets are revealed. Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) is a young orphan brought up in a convent preparing to take her vows to become a nun. When told she must visit her aunt, her only living relative, Anna discovers she’s Jewish, her name is actually Ida and her parents were killed in WWII. Anna/Ida and her aunt embark on a journey to learn more about the family’s history and discover the truth about what happened.
The film landed on the Oscar shortlist for best foreign-language film and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category.
A number of foreign films focused on WWII have done well at the Oscars throughout the years. Ones based on real events include The Counterfeiters (2007), about the Nazis’ attempt to...
- 1/2/2015
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Horror is really the only genre that has entries that, while “good,” may not necessarily mean “recommended.” So, how does that affect what is “definitive?” A recent conversation brought up the nightmare of a movie A Serbian Film (great review here from Justine) which, by all accounts, is a horror film. But, while everyone in film circles knows about the film (many have even seen it), I can’t imagine anyone actually recommending it. It’s made impact, sure. But at what cost? The best horror films aren’t simply there to scare and disgust viewers. They’re there to serve as metaphors for other issues, however big or small. But the best ones are those that do it in a way that, while still may scare and disgust you, will also make you think and reevaluate your situation.
40. À l’intérieur (2007)
English Title: Inside
Directed by: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury...
40. À l’intérieur (2007)
English Title: Inside
Directed by: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury...
- 7/12/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
"I think the point about Marketa Lazarova is that when you first see it you're confused, and by that I mean you know that the whole story of what you're looking at is obscured, but it's still there, but you have to look hard." Peter Hames (film historian) Quick, name a Czechoslovakian film or film director... I would expect most of you are either drawing a blank or shouting out Milos Forman. The reason I ask is because on the back of Criterion's new Blu-ray release of Marketa Lazarova it reads, "In its native land, Frantisek Vlacil's Marketa Lazarova has been hailed as the greatest Czech film ever made; for many U.S. viewers, it will be a revelation." I can't speak to the first part of that statement as I believe this was the first, bonafide Czech film I've ever seen, but the second rings true. When it comes to Czech cinema,...
- 6/10/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The French New Wave was not the only new wave of the 1960s: during a temporary loosening of the Communist regime’s hold on culture, Czechoslovakia had its own new wave that produced films just as beautiful, witty, exciting, innovative and thought-provoking as the French. The 1960s saw two Czechoslovak winners of the foreign language Oscar: The Shop on Main Street in 1965 and Closely Observed Trains in 1967. Like the French New Wave filmmakers, Czech New Wave directors such as Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová and Jan Němec were well-versed in film history. Although Communism had restricted their access to more recent international trends in film, philosophy, politics, art and literature, during the 1960s Czechoslovak students, artists and intellectuals had greater access to contemporary movements and ideas and embraced them enthusiastically. The country was also able to reconnect with its own artistic and cultural past, formerly repressed by Communism: one major example is the work of Kafka,...
- 2/26/2013
- by Alison Frank
- The Moving Arts Journal
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 24, 2012
Price: DVD $69.99
Studio: Criterion
A scene from Věra Chytilová's 1966 farce Daisies.
Of all the cinematic New Waves that broke over the world in the 1960s, the one in Czechoslovakia was among the most fascinating and radical, as can be seen in the five feature-length films and five shorts found in Criterion’s Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of The Czech New Wave.
With a wicked sense of humor and a healthy streak of surrealism, a group of directors in Czechoslovakia —including future Oscar winners Miloš Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and Ján Kadár (The Shop on Main Street)—began to use film to speak out about the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Communist state.
The four-disc collection kicks off the 1966 omnibus film Pearls of the Deep, which introduced five of the movement’s best-known voices: Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec,...
Price: DVD $69.99
Studio: Criterion
A scene from Věra Chytilová's 1966 farce Daisies.
Of all the cinematic New Waves that broke over the world in the 1960s, the one in Czechoslovakia was among the most fascinating and radical, as can be seen in the five feature-length films and five shorts found in Criterion’s Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of The Czech New Wave.
With a wicked sense of humor and a healthy streak of surrealism, a group of directors in Czechoslovakia —including future Oscar winners Miloš Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and Ján Kadár (The Shop on Main Street)—began to use film to speak out about the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Communist state.
The four-disc collection kicks off the 1966 omnibus film Pearls of the Deep, which introduced five of the movement’s best-known voices: Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec,...
- 2/4/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Influential Czech film director with a talent for self-preservation
The Czech film director Otakar Vávra, who has died aged 100, was born in Bohemia when it was part of the Austro- Hungarian empire, and was seven years old when Czechoslovakia became an independent nation in 1918. He lived through the German occupation, communism and the Velvet Revolution, and saw his country become the Czech Republic in 1993, while never ceasing to make films. In each epoch, Vávra changed his skin in order to save it.
Among his lasting achievements was the film faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (Famu) in Prague, which he helped establish after the second world war and where he taught for five decades. Among his students were Vera Chytilová, Milos Forman, Ivan Passer and Jiri Menzel, all directors of the 60s Czech new wave, and more recently Emir Kusturica, all of whom had high praise for his teaching.
The Czech film director Otakar Vávra, who has died aged 100, was born in Bohemia when it was part of the Austro- Hungarian empire, and was seven years old when Czechoslovakia became an independent nation in 1918. He lived through the German occupation, communism and the Velvet Revolution, and saw his country become the Czech Republic in 1993, while never ceasing to make films. In each epoch, Vávra changed his skin in order to save it.
Among his lasting achievements was the film faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (Famu) in Prague, which he helped establish after the second world war and where he taught for five decades. Among his students were Vera Chytilová, Milos Forman, Ivan Passer and Jiri Menzel, all directors of the 60s Czech new wave, and more recently Emir Kusturica, all of whom had high praise for his teaching.
- 11/7/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
MOSCOW -- The Czech Film and Television Academy has chosen Bohdan Slama's Something Like Happiness as the country's Oscar entry for best foreign-language film, the Czech Film Center said Tuesday. Slama's film -- which won the San Sebastian film festival's Golden Shell for best film and Silver Shell for Ana Geislerova as best actress -- is the Czech director-screenwriter's third feature film. "A moving story about a fragile relationship between two young people which gradually grows into true love, the cast and atmosphere are reminiscent of Slama's successful debut 'Wild Bees' which brought the filmmaker several awards at international festivals," the Czech Film Center's Jana Cernik said. Nine Czech films have won a place at the Oscars since 1965 with three taking the prize -- The Shop on Main Street (directors Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos, 1965); Closely Watched Trains (Jiri Menzel, 1967); and Kolya (Jan Sverak, 1996).
- 10/4/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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