January 2012
124 posts
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'Pardon Us', 1931
Four foreign language versions were also shot: ‘Sous les Verrous’ (French), ‘Hinter Schloss und Riegel’ (German), ‘Muraglie’ (Italian) and ‘Los Presidiarios’ (Spanish). Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy spoke their lines phonetically, while many supporting roles were recast, including Boris Karloff playing “The Tiger” in the French version.
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“There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would...”
– Narrator, ‘The Right Stuff’, 1983
December 2011
126 posts
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“I want to see everybody’s license! I want to see your driver’s...”
– Motorcycle Cop, ‘Sex and the Single Girl’, 1964
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Film Index #138
‘Wings’, 1927
Starring Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen and Gary Cooper
Written by Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton and John Monk Saunders
Directed by William A. Wellman
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'The Lost Weekend', 1945
The original novel the film is based on has the main character referring to a homosexual affair. However, the script was changed so that the main character was instead suffering from writer’s block.
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“Paris holds the key to her past. Yes, Princess, I’ve found you at last. No...”
– Dimitri, ‘Anastasia’, 1997
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“I’m cheap. I’m no good. I’m nothin’. I even stole a...”
– Powdah, ‘Souls at Sea’, 1937
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'Braveheart', 1995
Single frames of film were removed at strategic points in the battles in order to produce a jarring, startling effect.
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Film Index #137
’What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’, 1962
Starring Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Victor Buono
Written by Lukas Heller and Herny Farrell
Directed by Robert Aldrich
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'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', 1941
Carole Lombard was a devoted Democrat, while Robert Montgomery was a Republican. During breaks in filming, Lombard made a point of running into the studio parking lot and putting FDR re-election bumper stickers on Montgomery’s car.
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“I don’t think the gun grew little gun legs and walked out of the house....”
– Willy Beachum, ‘Fracture’, 2007
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“You can own the earth and still, all you’ll own is earth until you can...”
– Pocahontas, ‘Pocahontas’, 1995
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'The Greatest Story Ever Told', 1965
Joanna Dunham, who played Mary Magdalene, became pregnant during filming. The director worked around this by shooting her from the chest up as much as possible, making her later scenes markedly unlike the earlier ones.
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Film Index #136
’Melancholia’, 2011
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland
Written by Lars von Trier
Directed by Lars von Trier
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'Joyeux Noël', 2005
This film is dedicated to the soldiers who fraternized on Christmas in 1914 in several places on the front.
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“Good morning! Merry Christmas! I hope I’m in time to see you flip the...”
– Alexander Yardley, ‘Christmas in Connecticut’, 1945
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“The boss hands you the envelope. You wonder how much is in it, and you...”
– Alfred Kralik, ‘The Shop Around the Corner’, 1940
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'Bad Santa', 2003
Billy Bob Thornton has admitted to being genuinely intoxicated during filming.
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Film Index #135
’It’s A Wonderful Life’, 1946
Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore
Written by Frank Capra, Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Philip Van Doren Stern and Jo Swerling
...
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'The Adventures of Tintin', 2011
According to Steven Spielberg, when shooting he always keeps one closed when framing a shot, so he can visualize the film in 2D (“the way viewers would”). But on this film, he had both of his eyes open, as it was 3D, and he wanted to treat the film like live-action.
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“Failed? There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A...”
– Captain Haddock, ‘The Adventures of Tintin’, 2011
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'The Adventures of Tintin', 2011
‘The Adventures of Tintin’ was released 30 years to the day that ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ was released in 1981. Both are directed by Steven Spielberg.
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“Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to...”
– Gandalf, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’, 2001
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Film Index #134
’True Grit’, 1969
Starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell and Kim Darby
Written by Marguerite Roberts and Charles Portis
Directed by Henry Hathaway
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“What’s the meaning of goodness if there isn’t a little badness to...”
– Mrs. Brown, ‘National Velvet’, 1944
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'The Las Vegas Story', 1952
The night before the Las Vegas premiere of ‘The Las Vegas Story’, Jane and her husband, Robert Waterfield, got into a fight in which he slugged her in the face several times. The next morning, Jane’s face was swollen and black and blue. RKO executives didn’t want to cancel the premiere, so Jane appeared at the festivities with a severely swollen and bruised face. A story...
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Cinematically Speaking
That Novemberist: If you could open your own sailing store, what would you call it?
This Novemberist: The Lost Buoys.