Paramount has prevailed in a copyright lawsuit, brought by the heirs to the author of a 1983 magazine story that inspired the original Top Gun, accusing the studio of forging ahead with the blockbuster sequel without renegotiating a new license.
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, in an order dismissing the case on Friday, found that several elements from the film — including plot, theme, setting and dialogue — are “largely dissimilar” from Ehud Yonay’s article. And to the extent both works revolve around a fighter pilot training school, the court concluded that any overlapping factual similarities aren’t protected by copyright law.
In a statement, copyright termination heavyweight Marc Toberoff, representing the plaintiffs, said the court’s ruling dismissing the lawsuit on summary judgment will be appealed. He added, “Once Yonay’s widow and son exercised their rights under the Copyright Act to reclaim his exhilarating Story, Paramount hand-waved them away exclaiming ‘What copyright?...
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, in an order dismissing the case on Friday, found that several elements from the film — including plot, theme, setting and dialogue — are “largely dissimilar” from Ehud Yonay’s article. And to the extent both works revolve around a fighter pilot training school, the court concluded that any overlapping factual similarities aren’t protected by copyright law.
In a statement, copyright termination heavyweight Marc Toberoff, representing the plaintiffs, said the court’s ruling dismissing the lawsuit on summary judgment will be appealed. He added, “Once Yonay’s widow and son exercised their rights under the Copyright Act to reclaim his exhilarating Story, Paramount hand-waved them away exclaiming ‘What copyright?...
- 4/8/2024
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nearly four decades ago, NBC brought Babes in Toyland back to life with an all-star cast.
The holiday project was based on the 1903 operetta, which features Victor Herbert’s score — including Christmas staple “Toyland” — and a libretto from Glen MacDonough that draws together numerous Mother Goose characters. It followed such previous adaptations as a 1934 Laurel and Hardy film, a 1960 Shirley Temple-led TV version and a 1961 Disney movie starring Annette Funicello.
Filmmaker Clive Donner — whose 1965 comedy What’s New Pussycat? marked Woody Allen’s first produced screenplay — directed Babes in Toyland from a script by Paul Zindel (Mame).
Shot in Munich, it starred 11-year-old Drew Barrymore as Lisa, who has no interest in toys until she gets magically transported to Toyland on Christmas Eve, where she teams up with the Toymaster (Pat Morita, fresh off The Karate Kid Part II) to stop the villainous Barnaby Barnicle (Richard Mulligan) from taking over the realm.
The holiday project was based on the 1903 operetta, which features Victor Herbert’s score — including Christmas staple “Toyland” — and a libretto from Glen MacDonough that draws together numerous Mother Goose characters. It followed such previous adaptations as a 1934 Laurel and Hardy film, a 1960 Shirley Temple-led TV version and a 1961 Disney movie starring Annette Funicello.
Filmmaker Clive Donner — whose 1965 comedy What’s New Pussycat? marked Woody Allen’s first produced screenplay — directed Babes in Toyland from a script by Paul Zindel (Mame).
Shot in Munich, it starred 11-year-old Drew Barrymore as Lisa, who has no interest in toys until she gets magically transported to Toyland on Christmas Eve, where she teams up with the Toymaster (Pat Morita, fresh off The Karate Kid Part II) to stop the villainous Barnaby Barnicle (Richard Mulligan) from taking over the realm.
- 12/16/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HBO’s “The Last Movie Stars,” Ethan Hawkes’ exceptional six-part series on Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, works on so many levels. For baby boomers who grew up watching the Oscar-winning couple, the series is a strong emotional tug at the heartstrings. For actors and those who love acting, it’s a primer on the craft. For those who love and admire the fact they remained married for 50 years, it’s a perceptive depiction of the highs, lows and struggles of a marriage. And by peeling away the legend of their union, you end up admiring and loving Newman and Woodward more than ever. And be prepared to blubber several times in the final episode.
The couple collaborated on 16 movies and three plays. And in honor of “The Last Movie Stars,” here’s a look at several of those projects.
The two fell in love while working on William Inge’s 1953 Pulitzer-Prize-winning romantic drama ‘Picnic.
The couple collaborated on 16 movies and three plays. And in honor of “The Last Movie Stars,” here’s a look at several of those projects.
The two fell in love while working on William Inge’s 1953 Pulitzer-Prize-winning romantic drama ‘Picnic.
- 7/25/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
A lawsuit accusing Guillermo del Toro of plagiarizing the story to his Best Picture winner “The Shape of Water” from a drama by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Zindel has been dismissed.
The suit was originally filed in 2018 and accused del Toro, Fox Searchlight and others that “The Shape of Water” infringed on Zindel’s 1969 play “Let Me Hear You Whisper.” But after reviewing confidential information during the litigation, the plaintiff reached an agreement to voluntarily dismiss the case.
“David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper,’ acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He acknowledges Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water.’ Any similarity between the two works is coincidental,” a representative for Searchlight Pictures said in a statement.
An attorney for David Zindel could not be reached for comment.
The suit was originally filed in 2018 and accused del Toro, Fox Searchlight and others that “The Shape of Water” infringed on Zindel’s 1969 play “Let Me Hear You Whisper.” But after reviewing confidential information during the litigation, the plaintiff reached an agreement to voluntarily dismiss the case.
“David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper,’ acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He acknowledges Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water.’ Any similarity between the two works is coincidental,” a representative for Searchlight Pictures said in a statement.
An attorney for David Zindel could not be reached for comment.
- 4/5/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
A copyright lawsuit claiming Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar winner “The Shape of Water” stole from the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel has been dismissed (via The Hollywood Reporter). Both “Shape of Water” and Zindel’s play “Let Me Hear You Whisper” involve plots centered on a creature imprisoned in a science research facility. The lawsuit was originally filed by Zindel’s family in February 2018 just ahead of the Oscar voting deadline. “The Shape of Water” contended for 13 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture and Best Director, among other prizes.
A spokesperson for Searchlight Pictures said in a statement (via THR): “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper,’ acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He acknowledges Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water.’ Any similarity...
A spokesperson for Searchlight Pictures said in a statement (via THR): “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper,’ acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He acknowledges Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water.’ Any similarity...
- 4/5/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The producers of The Shape of Water will no longer have to contend with a copyright lawsuit that claims that Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro film infringed the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel. On Friday, Disney’s Fox units, Guillermo del Toro and other defendants filed court papers indicating that the parties in the litigation had reached an agreement to dismiss the case.
When contacted about the development, a spokesperson for Searchlight (one of the co-defendants) released the following statement: “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper, acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during ...
When contacted about the development, a spokesperson for Searchlight (one of the co-defendants) released the following statement: “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper, acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during ...
The producers of The Shape of Water will no longer have to contend with a copyright lawsuit that claims that Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro film infringed the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel. On Friday, Disney’s Fox units, Guillermo del Toro and other defendants filed court papers indicating that the parties in the litigation had reached an agreement to dismiss the case.
When contacted about the development, a spokesperson for Searchlight (one of the co-defendants) released the following statement: “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper, acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during ...
When contacted about the development, a spokesperson for Searchlight (one of the co-defendants) released the following statement: “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper, acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during ...
Akira Kurosawa wrote the original story for this slam-bang action picture that finally got Cannon Films on a, ‘Hey this is a great movie’ list or two. Mean, nasty, desperate men make an impossible escape attempt across a frozen landscape that might as well be on the moon. Jon Voight gets to use the same eccentric gimmicks that Dustin Hoffman exploited, and comes off great while Andrei Konchalovsky showed Cannon what a brilliant director could do. The show also established Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay as talents to watch.
Runaway Train
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date March 16, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan, Edward Bunker, Hank Worden, Danny Trejo, Tommy Lister, Don MacLaughlin, Loren James, Dick Durock, Dennis Franz.
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Original Music: Trevor Jones
Written by Djordje Milecevic,...
Runaway Train
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date March 16, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan, Edward Bunker, Hank Worden, Danny Trejo, Tommy Lister, Don MacLaughlin, Loren James, Dick Durock, Dennis Franz.
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Original Music: Trevor Jones
Written by Djordje Milecevic,...
- 2/23/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“Hey, Manny!”
By Raymond Benson
One of the generally underrated and mostly forgotten great action thrillers of the 1980s was Runaway Train, a sleeper that took audiences by surprise in late 1985/early 1986. Produced by the low-rent team of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus for the now-defunct Cannon Films, Train was not the partners’ ordinary B-movie action fare. The picture’s pedigree assured that there was going to be something interesting within, and there was.
Runaway Train was originally an Akira Kurosawa project. The Japanese director had conceived the movie, co-written a screenplay with two of his regular colleagues, and planned to make it in conjunction with a Hollywood studio in the late 1960s. According to the supplements on Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release of the film, Kurosawa wanted to cast Henry Fonda and Peter Falk in the lead roles of escaped convicts...
“Hey, Manny!”
By Raymond Benson
One of the generally underrated and mostly forgotten great action thrillers of the 1980s was Runaway Train, a sleeper that took audiences by surprise in late 1985/early 1986. Produced by the low-rent team of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus for the now-defunct Cannon Films, Train was not the partners’ ordinary B-movie action fare. The picture’s pedigree assured that there was going to be something interesting within, and there was.
Runaway Train was originally an Akira Kurosawa project. The Japanese director had conceived the movie, co-written a screenplay with two of his regular colleagues, and planned to make it in conjunction with a Hollywood studio in the late 1960s. According to the supplements on Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release of the film, Kurosawa wanted to cast Henry Fonda and Peter Falk in the lead roles of escaped convicts...
- 2/20/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
On Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals breathed new life into a copyright lawsuit alleging that Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning The Shape of Water infringed the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel.
"Here, the district court erred by dismissing the action because, at this stage, reasonable minds could differ on whether there is substantial similarity between Let Me Hear You Whisper and The Shape of Water," states a memorandum opinion. "Though both works properly were presented to the district court, additional evidence, including expert testimony, would aid in the objective literary analysis needed to determine ...
"Here, the district court erred by dismissing the action because, at this stage, reasonable minds could differ on whether there is substantial similarity between Let Me Hear You Whisper and The Shape of Water," states a memorandum opinion. "Though both works properly were presented to the district court, additional evidence, including expert testimony, would aid in the objective literary analysis needed to determine ...
- 6/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
On Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals breathed new life into a copyright lawsuit alleging that Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning The Shape of Water infringed the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel.
"Here, the district court erred by dismissing the action because, at this stage, reasonable minds could differ on whether there is substantial similarity between Let Me Hear You Whisper and The Shape of Water," states a memorandum opinion. "Though both works properly were presented to the district court, additional evidence, including expert testimony, would aid in the objective literary analysis needed to determine ...
"Here, the district court erred by dismissing the action because, at this stage, reasonable minds could differ on whether there is substantial similarity between Let Me Hear You Whisper and The Shape of Water," states a memorandum opinion. "Though both works properly were presented to the district court, additional evidence, including expert testimony, would aid in the objective literary analysis needed to determine ...
- 6/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Academy Award winner Alvin Sargent, who penned an extraordinary number of popular and critically successful films, from “Paper Moon” and “Ordinary People” to the “Spider-Man” sequels of the 2000s, died Thursday, his talent agency Gersh confirmed to Variety. He was 92.
Sargent won adapted screenplay Oscars for “Julia” in 1978 and “Ordinary People” in 1981 and was also nominated in the category in 1974 for “Paper Moon.” (He also received Writers Guild awards for all three films.) The writer worked with many of Hollywood’s top directors over the course of his career, including Alan J. Pakula, John Frankenheimer. Paul Newman, Peter Bogdanovich, Sydney Pollack, Fred Zinnemann, Robert Redford, Martin Ritt, Norman Jewison, Stephen Frears and Wayne Wang, though not always when those helmers were doing their best work.
Sargent started as a writer for television but broke into features with his screenplay for 1966’s “Gambit,” a Ronald Neame-directed comedy thriller starring Michael Caine,...
Sargent won adapted screenplay Oscars for “Julia” in 1978 and “Ordinary People” in 1981 and was also nominated in the category in 1974 for “Paper Moon.” (He also received Writers Guild awards for all three films.) The writer worked with many of Hollywood’s top directors over the course of his career, including Alan J. Pakula, John Frankenheimer. Paul Newman, Peter Bogdanovich, Sydney Pollack, Fred Zinnemann, Robert Redford, Martin Ritt, Norman Jewison, Stephen Frears and Wayne Wang, though not always when those helmers were doing their best work.
Sargent started as a writer for television but broke into features with his screenplay for 1966’s “Gambit,” a Ronald Neame-directed comedy thriller starring Michael Caine,...
- 5/11/2019
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the “The Shape of Water,” the winner of this year’s Oscar for best picture, borrowed heavily from a 1969 play about a dolphin held captive in a military lab.
David Zindel, the son of playwright Paul Zindel, filed the suit in February, claiming that the film stole themes, plot points, characters and dialogue from “Let Me Hear You Whisper,” a play that aired on public television. Judge Percy Anderson ruled that the two works are substantially different, and that the similarities are too generic to be copyrighted.
“Although the play and the film share the basic premise of an employee at a scientific facility deciding to free a creature that is subjected to scientific experiments, that concept is too general to be protected,” Anderson wrote. “There are some minor similarities in the two works’ expressive choices, such as the fact that...
David Zindel, the son of playwright Paul Zindel, filed the suit in February, claiming that the film stole themes, plot points, characters and dialogue from “Let Me Hear You Whisper,” a play that aired on public television. Judge Percy Anderson ruled that the two works are substantially different, and that the similarities are too generic to be copyrighted.
“Although the play and the film share the basic premise of an employee at a scientific facility deciding to free a creature that is subjected to scientific experiments, that concept is too general to be protected,” Anderson wrote. “There are some minor similarities in the two works’ expressive choices, such as the fact that...
- 7/24/2018
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
A lawsuit accusing Guillermo del Toro of lifting the idea for his film “The Shape of Water” from a 1969 play by Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel is all wet, a court has decided.
According to paperwork filed Monday, the suit has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be filed again.
“For all of the foregoing reasons, the Court grants Film Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the Complaint (Docket No. 29) and Macmillan’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint Against Defendant MacMillan Publishing Group, LLC (Docket No. 31). This action is dismissed with prejudice,” the paperwork, filed in federal court in California, reads.
Also Read: 'Shape of Water' Dildo Sales Surge Over Oscars Weekend (Exclusive)
The suit was filed in February by Zindel’s son, which said that the “The Shape of Water” infringed on his deceased father’s 1969 play “Let Me Hear You Whisper.”
According to the suit, the play “tells...
According to paperwork filed Monday, the suit has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be filed again.
“For all of the foregoing reasons, the Court grants Film Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the Complaint (Docket No. 29) and Macmillan’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint Against Defendant MacMillan Publishing Group, LLC (Docket No. 31). This action is dismissed with prejudice,” the paperwork, filed in federal court in California, reads.
Also Read: 'Shape of Water' Dildo Sales Surge Over Oscars Weekend (Exclusive)
The suit was filed in February by Zindel’s son, which said that the “The Shape of Water” infringed on his deceased father’s 1969 play “Let Me Hear You Whisper.”
According to the suit, the play “tells...
- 7/24/2018
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Exclusive: A federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit filed by the estate of playwright Paul Zindel accusing filmmaker Guillermo del Toro of appropriating plot elements from Let Me Hear You Whisper in his Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water. The suit was filed and fanned for maximum publicity on the day that Academy voters began filling out their final ballots for major category nominees, this after an ask for a settlement was rebuffed by Fox Searchlight. The film won four Oscars anyway, including Best Picture and Best Director for del Toro.
Judge Percy Anderson issued a brief ruling yesterday dismissing the suit and saying that del Toro and Fox Searchlight are entitled to recover the costs of defending against the legal claim.
The copyright infringement claim, filed in February in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges del Toro “brazenly copies the story, elements, characters, and themes...
Judge Percy Anderson issued a brief ruling yesterday dismissing the suit and saying that del Toro and Fox Searchlight are entitled to recover the costs of defending against the legal claim.
The copyright infringement claim, filed in February in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges del Toro “brazenly copies the story, elements, characters, and themes...
- 7/24/2018
- by Dawn C. Chmielewski
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox Searchlight and director Guillermo del Toro have scored a decisive knockout in the copyright lawsuit over the Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water. A California federal judge on Tuesday rejected claims made by the family of late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel.
The lawsuit, filed on the eve of the Academy Awards this year, alleged that Shape of Water was a rip-off of Zindel's 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper.
"The Court concludes that although there are some minor similarities, the Film and the Book are not substantially similar to the Play," writes U.S. District Court ...
The lawsuit, filed on the eve of the Academy Awards this year, alleged that Shape of Water was a rip-off of Zindel's 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper.
"The Court concludes that although there are some minor similarities, the Film and the Book are not substantially similar to the Play," writes U.S. District Court ...
- 7/24/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fox Searchlight and director Guillermo del Toro have scored a decisive knockout in the copyright lawsuit over the Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water. A California federal judge on Tuesday rejected claims made by the family of late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel.
The lawsuit, filed on the eve of the Academy Awards this year, alleged that Shape of Water was a rip-off of Zindel's 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper.
"The Court concludes that although there are some minor similarities, the Film and the Book are not substantially similar to the Play," writes U.S. District Court ...
The lawsuit, filed on the eve of the Academy Awards this year, alleged that Shape of Water was a rip-off of Zindel's 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper.
"The Court concludes that although there are some minor similarities, the Film and the Book are not substantially similar to the Play," writes U.S. District Court ...
- 7/24/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Fox Searchlight has fired back against a lawsuit that claims “The Shape of Water” is based on a 1969 play about a janitor who befriends a captive dolphin.
The studio’s attorneys argue in a motion to dismiss that the differences between the best picture winner and the play, titled “Let Me Hear You Whisper,” are so great as to make the lawsuit without merit. They also contend that any thematic similarities are also shared with a number of other films, and are not protected by copyright.
“Any ‘similarity’ between these vastly different works derives from the nonprotectible idea of a relationship between a person and an animal (in the case of the Play) or mythical humanoid creature (in the case of the Film) that scientists wish to kill and/or study and experiment on — an idea that has previously been the subject of numerous films, including ‘Free Willy,’ ‘Starman,’ ‘Splash!
The studio’s attorneys argue in a motion to dismiss that the differences between the best picture winner and the play, titled “Let Me Hear You Whisper,” are so great as to make the lawsuit without merit. They also contend that any thematic similarities are also shared with a number of other films, and are not protected by copyright.
“Any ‘similarity’ between these vastly different works derives from the nonprotectible idea of a relationship between a person and an animal (in the case of the Play) or mythical humanoid creature (in the case of the Film) that scientists wish to kill and/or study and experiment on — an idea that has previously been the subject of numerous films, including ‘Free Willy,’ ‘Starman,’ ‘Splash!
- 5/8/2018
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Best picture Oscar winner The Shape of Water isn't substantially similar to the short play it was accused of copying just before Academy Awards voting began, according to a motion filed Monday by attorneys for Fox Searchlight and director Guillermo del Toro.
The family of late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel sued in February, claiming del Toro's fantasy story is a rip-off of a 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper.
Fox Searchlight and del Toro have filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing when the court reads the play and watches the film it will...
The family of late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel sued in February, claiming del Toro's fantasy story is a rip-off of a 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper.
Fox Searchlight and del Toro have filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing when the court reads the play and watches the film it will...
- 5/8/2018
- by Ashley Cullins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Best picture Oscar winner <em>The Shape of Water</em> isn't substantially similar to the short play it was accused of copying just before Academy Awards voting began, according to a motion filed Monday by attorneys for Fox Searchlight and director Guillermo del Toro.
The family of late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/shape-water-sparks-copyright-lawsuit-oscar-voting-1087249" target="_blank">sued in February</a>, claiming del Toro's fantasy story is a rip-off of a 1969 play called <em>Let Me Hear You Whisper</em>.
Fox Searchlight and del Toro have filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing when the court reads the play and watches the film it will see the ...
The family of late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/shape-water-sparks-copyright-lawsuit-oscar-voting-1087249" target="_blank">sued in February</a>, claiming del Toro's fantasy story is a rip-off of a 1969 play called <em>Let Me Hear You Whisper</em>.
Fox Searchlight and del Toro have filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing when the court reads the play and watches the film it will see the ...
Of all the ‘depressed relationship’ dramas of the early ’70s, this may be the most rewarding. It also sports one of the longest titles on record. Paul Zindel’s award-winning play gets a marvelous adaptation for the screen, thanks to Alvin Sargent, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. There’s also the stealth input of the star couple’s daughter Nell Potts, whose restrained performance is the happy opposite of mawkish and maudlin.
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date February 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Joanne Woodward, Nell Potts, Roberta Wallach, Judith Lowry, David Spielberg, Richard Venture, Jess Osuna, Will Hare.
Cinematography: Adam Holender
Film Editor: Evan A. Lottman, Craig McKay, assistant
Original Music: Maurice Jarre
Written by Alvin Sargent from the play by Paul Zindel
Produced and Directed by Paul Newman
The late-’60s freedom of...
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date February 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Joanne Woodward, Nell Potts, Roberta Wallach, Judith Lowry, David Spielberg, Richard Venture, Jess Osuna, Will Hare.
Cinematography: Adam Holender
Film Editor: Evan A. Lottman, Craig McKay, assistant
Original Music: Maurice Jarre
Written by Alvin Sargent from the play by Paul Zindel
Produced and Directed by Paul Newman
The late-’60s freedom of...
- 2/24/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
‘The Shape Of Water’ Sued For Allegedly Ripping Off A Play, Guillermo Del Toro Says ‘I Never Saw It’
Guillermo del Toro’s awards darling “The Shape of Water” is being accused of stealing from the works of playwright Paul Zindel. Zindel’s son, David, is suing the minds behind the film for taking from the playwright’s 1969 play Let Me Hear You Whisper without permission. The playwright’s son believes the two projects are so similar “The Shape of...
- 2/22/2018
- by Shakiel Mahjouri
- ET Canada
With less than a week remaining before Academy Awards voting ends, Guillermo del Toro and Fox Searchlight are being sued for allegedly copying the idea for The Shape of Water.
The film, which tells an inter-species love story set against the backdrop of the Cold War arms race, is nominated for best picture and del Toro is widely considered the frontrunner for best director.
But, according to the family of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel, the fantasy story is a rip-off of a 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper. David Zindel says his father's work...
The film, which tells an inter-species love story set against the backdrop of the Cold War arms race, is nominated for best picture and del Toro is widely considered the frontrunner for best director.
But, according to the family of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel, the fantasy story is a rip-off of a 1969 play called Let Me Hear You Whisper. David Zindel says his father's work...
- 2/22/2018
- by Ashley Cullins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: The Shape of Water director and co-writer Guillermo del Toro has come out to directly refute claims made in a lawsuit filed today by the estate of playwright Paul Zindel that the filmmaker appropriated plot elements from Let Me Hear You Whisper. That is a 1969 play about a janitorial cleaning woman who attempts (and fails) to free a dolphin from a scientific laboratory facility that weaponizes animals for military use. “I have never read nor seen the play,” del…...
- 2/22/2018
- Deadline
Son of Pulitzer winner Paul Zindel alleges Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-nominated film ‘exploited’ his father’s 1969 play
The family of a Pulitzer-winning playwright has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Guillermo del Toro and Fox Searchlight alleging that the Oscar-nominated film The Shape of Water is a “derivative” work that has “glaring similarities” to a 1969 play.
David Zindel, son of American playwright Paul Zindel, filed the complaint Wednesday alleging that Del Toro’s critically acclaimed film, which has more Oscar nominations than any other this year, has “exploited” the play Let Me Hear You Whisper and should have credited and licensed his father’s work.
The family of a Pulitzer-winning playwright has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Guillermo del Toro and Fox Searchlight alleging that the Oscar-nominated film The Shape of Water is a “derivative” work that has “glaring similarities” to a 1969 play.
David Zindel, son of American playwright Paul Zindel, filed the complaint Wednesday alleging that Del Toro’s critically acclaimed film, which has more Oscar nominations than any other this year, has “exploited” the play Let Me Hear You Whisper and should have credited and licensed his father’s work.
- 2/22/2018
- by Sam Levin in San Francisco
- The Guardian - Film News
3:15 Pm Pt -- Fox tells us, “These claims from Mr. Zindel’s estate are baseless, wholly without merit and we will be filing a motion to dismiss. Furthermore, the estate’s complaint seems timed to coincide with the Academy Award voting cycle in order to pressure our studio to quickly settle. Instead, we will vigorously defend ourselves and, by extension, this groundbreaking and original film." "The Shape of Water" doesn't deserve a Best Picture Oscar,...
- 2/21/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” is a ripoff of a drama by Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel, according to a new lawsuit filed by the deceased playwright’s son. The suit, filed in federal court in California on Wednesday against del Toro, Fox Searchlight and others, alleges that “The Shape of Water” infringes on Zindel’s 1969 play “Let Me Hear You Whisper.” According to the suit, the play “tells the story of a lonely janitorial cleaning woman who works the graveyard shift at a scientific laboratory facility that performs animal experiments for military use. There she becomes fascinated by a fantastic...
- 2/21/2018
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the celebrated French director of “Delicatessen” and “Amélie,” has accused Guillermo del Toro of plagiarizing a scene from “Delicatessen” in his 13-time Oscar nominee “The Shape of Water.”
The scene in del Toro’s movie features the characters played by Sally Hawkins and Richard Jenkins performing a charming two-step dance while sitting on a sofa watching an old Hollywood movie. Jeunet thinks del Toro stole the moment from a similar one between two children in “Delicatessen.” The French director explained to Ouest-France (via The Playlist) that he confronted del Toro about the scene.
“I told [del Toro]: ‘You have a lot of imagination, a lot of talent. Why go and [steal] the ideas of others?'” Jeunet told the French publication. “[Del Toro] said, ‘We owe Terry Gilliam everything.’ According...
The scene in del Toro’s movie features the characters played by Sally Hawkins and Richard Jenkins performing a charming two-step dance while sitting on a sofa watching an old Hollywood movie. Jeunet thinks del Toro stole the moment from a similar one between two children in “Delicatessen.” The French director explained to Ouest-France (via The Playlist) that he confronted del Toro about the scene.
“I told [del Toro]: ‘You have a lot of imagination, a lot of talent. Why go and [steal] the ideas of others?'” Jeunet told the French publication. “[Del Toro] said, ‘We owe Terry Gilliam everything.’ According...
- 2/6/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-nominated film, The Shape of Water, has been hit with accusations of plagiarism by the estate of an American author and playwright.
David Zindel, the son of Pulitzer prize winner Paul Zindel, recently told The Guardian in a statement that he believes del Toro's magical tale of a female janitor who falls in love with a captive water creature is clearly inspired by his father's own 1969 play, Let Me Hear You Whisper, also about a female janitor who falls in love with a captive water creature (in this instance,...
David Zindel, the son of Pulitzer prize winner Paul Zindel, recently told The Guardian in a statement that he believes del Toro's magical tale of a female janitor who falls in love with a captive water creature is clearly inspired by his father's own 1969 play, Let Me Hear You Whisper, also about a female janitor who falls in love with a captive water creature (in this instance,...
- 1/26/2018
- Rollingstone.com
The estate of late playwright Paul Zindel is slamming Fox Searchlight for allegedly borrowing the story behind Guillermo del Toro's Oscar hopeful The Shape of Water from a 1969 play without asking for rights.
David Zindel, the son of the playwright and manager of his father's estate, told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that the film was "obviously derived" from the 1969 play Let Me Hear You Whisper, which follows a recently hired cleaning lady at a lab experimenting on mammals. The protagonist, Helen, takes pity on a dolphin the scientists have scheduled for a brain dissection after having failed to make it talk,...
David Zindel, the son of the playwright and manager of his father's estate, told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that the film was "obviously derived" from the 1969 play Let Me Hear You Whisper, which follows a recently hired cleaning lady at a lab experimenting on mammals. The protagonist, Helen, takes pity on a dolphin the scientists have scheduled for a brain dissection after having failed to make it talk,...
- 1/26/2018
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fox Searchlight denies Oscar-nominated film’s director and co-writer, Guillermo del Toro, has ever seen play by Pulitzer winner Paul Zindel
The estate of the Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel has accused the film The Shape of Water of using the late writer’s work without credit, arguing that Guillermo del Toro’s movie, which is leading in Oscar nominations, was “obviously derived” from a 1969 play.
David Zindel, son of the American playwright, told the Guardian he believes his father’s work Let Me Hear You Whisper, a play about a female janitor in a research laboratory who bonds with a captive dolphin and tries to rescue the creature, is a source of inspiration for The Shape of Water. Del Toro’s film was nominated on Tuesday for 13 Oscars, including best picture, best director and best original screenplay.
The estate of the Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel has accused the film The Shape of Water of using the late writer’s work without credit, arguing that Guillermo del Toro’s movie, which is leading in Oscar nominations, was “obviously derived” from a 1969 play.
David Zindel, son of the American playwright, told the Guardian he believes his father’s work Let Me Hear You Whisper, a play about a female janitor in a research laboratory who bonds with a captive dolphin and tries to rescue the creature, is a source of inspiration for The Shape of Water. Del Toro’s film was nominated on Tuesday for 13 Oscars, including best picture, best director and best original screenplay.
- 1/25/2018
- by Sam Levin in San Francisco
- The Guardian - Film News
And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little Written by Paul Zindel Directed by Shay Gines Presented by Retro Productions at Gene Frankel Theatre, NYC May 5-20, 2017
New York's Retro Productions has been pursuing its mission statement of telling "good theatrical stories which have an historical perspective" for over a decade now. With an emphasis on 20th-century plays, Retro, under artistic director Heather E. Cunningham, operates according to the belief that giving expression to these voices from our past helps us to better contextualize and understand our present. Indeed, it is not difficult to envision the connections between the late-1960s setting of Retro's newest revival, the darkly comic And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, and 2017's own tensions around race, gender, military conflict, and political upheaval. Truthfully -- and significantly -- it wouldn't take much adjustment at all to reimagine the play, which has reached its half-century anniversary, as taking place in our contemporary milieu.
New York's Retro Productions has been pursuing its mission statement of telling "good theatrical stories which have an historical perspective" for over a decade now. With an emphasis on 20th-century plays, Retro, under artistic director Heather E. Cunningham, operates according to the belief that giving expression to these voices from our past helps us to better contextualize and understand our present. Indeed, it is not difficult to envision the connections between the late-1960s setting of Retro's newest revival, the darkly comic And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, and 2017's own tensions around race, gender, military conflict, and political upheaval. Truthfully -- and significantly -- it wouldn't take much adjustment at all to reimagine the play, which has reached its half-century anniversary, as taking place in our contemporary milieu.
- 5/11/2017
- by Leah Richards
- www.culturecatch.com
Cannon Films knocks one out of the park: Jon Voight and Eric Roberts escape from prison only to end up on a huge, speeding, out of control juggernaut of a freight train plowing through the Alaskan wilderness. It's both an action bruise-fest and an existential statement, and it's still a wild thrill ride. Runaway Train Blu-ray Twilight Time 1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date October 11, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95 Starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan, Edward Bunker, Hank Worden, Danny Trejo, Tommy Lister, Don MacLaughlin, Loren James, Dick Durock, Dennis Franz. Cinematography Alan Hume Original Music Trevor Jones Written by Djordje Milecevic, Paul Zindel, Edward Bunker based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. Produced by Yoram Globus, Menachem Golan Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When I stumbled into The Cannon Group on...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When I stumbled into The Cannon Group on...
- 11/15/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Bernhardt’s Broadway credits include two Pulitzer winners: Paul Zindel’s 1970 The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds, as well as the Henley play, which won the prize in 1981 but lost out on the best play Tony to The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby. He died at home in Manhattan on September 12. No cause of death was given, but his husband, Jeff Woodman, told the New York Times that Bernhardt had been in declining health and had stopped taking…...
- 9/16/2015
- Deadline
Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Since the hubbub of Oscar season has finally died away and we can look past the strategy of campaigns, August: Osage County arrives on Blu-ray for reexamination. Perhaps distance and time will finally melt those rosy-tinted glasses so many seem to have donned for the experience of the film, as multiple viewings only enhance its creaky strokes of forced melodrama. As with her nomination for 1999’s Music of the Heart, her unnecessary accolades for this appear to be overwhelmingly kiss ass. It’s a mode we’ve seen Ms. Streep in before, that of the highly nuanced harpy with complicated and convoluted depth; only it all feels so incredibly constrained and affected that it’s difficult to believe a single minute of it.
When something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and while John Wells certainly wasn’t the most inspired choice to helm the adaptation of...
When something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and while John Wells certainly wasn’t the most inspired choice to helm the adaptation of...
- 4/8/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Suffer the Children: Wells’ Adaptation Enjoyable Camp, Hinges on Grandiose Performances
When something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and while John Wells certainly wasn’t the most inspired choice to helm the adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize Winning play August: Osage County, its delirious cast lineup trumps all else. The film belongs to a bygone tradition of cinema adapted from famous stage plays, such as when Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee and Paul Zindel were all names on the tips of everyone’s tongues. While Letts has the potential to be as perversely humorous as any of them, this adaptation only shines in a handful of scenes, gummed up with disingenuous mortar on the way to each to one. Several cast members are in fine form, but most of them have the potential to distract rather than homogenize, and thus, Wells seems to have let...
When something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and while John Wells certainly wasn’t the most inspired choice to helm the adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize Winning play August: Osage County, its delirious cast lineup trumps all else. The film belongs to a bygone tradition of cinema adapted from famous stage plays, such as when Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee and Paul Zindel were all names on the tips of everyone’s tongues. While Letts has the potential to be as perversely humorous as any of them, this adaptation only shines in a handful of scenes, gummed up with disingenuous mortar on the way to each to one. Several cast members are in fine form, but most of them have the potential to distract rather than homogenize, and thus, Wells seems to have let...
- 12/26/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Another Young Adult novel is now attempting to make way to the small screen! According to Deadline, Lizabeth Zindel's Girl Of The Moment will be transformed into a half hour comedy series by FilmColony, and Zindel - daughter of a renowned playwright and author, Paul Zindel - will write for the pitched series. The story's synopsis is as follows: When Lily’s internship at the Museum of Modern Art falls through, she thinks her summer is ruined. Then her dad hooks her up with a oncein- a-lifetime chance to intern for Sabrina Snow—sixteen-year-old Hollywood starlet and the girl of the moment. From the pages of Party Weekly magazine, Sabrina’s life looks like a nonstop merry-go-round of glamorous parties, red-carpet events, and designer clothes. But Lily soon learn ...
- 3/21/2013
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Stage and television actress Sada Thompson died in Danbury, Conn., on Wednesday, May 3. Thompson, best known for her portrayal of the matriarch in the 1970s television series Family, was 83. The cause of death was lung disease. [Right: Family cast members Meredith Baxter, Gary Frank, Thompson, James Broderick, Kristy McNichol.] In 1972, Thompson won a Tony for playing four roles — three daughters and their mother — in George Furth’s Twigs. Spending much of her stage career away from Broadway, Thompson became a star in the 1970 Off Broadway production of Paul Zindel’s The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, which two years later Paul Newman made into a movie starring his wife Joanne Woodward. On the big screen, Thompson could be seen only three times: Robert Mulligan's The Pursuit of Happiness (1971), a generation-gap drama toplining Michael Sarrazin (who died a couple of weeks ago) and Barbara Hershey; Desperate [...]...
- 5/6/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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