Just when I was beginning to think I’d seen it all, I recently learned of something I had no idea existed. The mid-’60’s-vintage Doiflex 16 fits neatly into that category…and it would probably be best if it remained there. Poised as something of a hybrid Arri S – Bolex H16 – Beaulieu R16, … Continue reading “SURPRISE, SURPRISE…”
WICKED, WICKED (1973)
In a lifetime of tripping over weird movies, this one is perhaps the weirdest of them all. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime, it’s not the hokey plot, Richard L. Bare’s ham-fisted direction, the terrible acting, cheesy sets or original organ score from the 1925 version of Phantom of the Opera that wrecked it for … Continue reading “WICKED, WICKED (1973)”
RESERVE THE READING ROOM!
In light of my recent fascination with Eclair’s 1960’s-vintage ads, here’s a little love for our good friends at Arriflex. While not as stylish or clever as the French offerings, Arri is the only camera manufacturer I’m aware of to start their sales pitch with a Latin phrase. Its meaning? Let the buyer be … Continue reading “RESERVE THE READING ROOM!”
ANATOMY OF A FIGHT SCENE, PART 1
The informal recording below shows a half-speed rehearsal for a fight scene that appears in a pilot I shot last year. Though the writers’ strike and other issues have delayed its streaming debut, the complete first season will drop sometime in 2025. For that reason, I’m not allowed to include the finished material. But … Continue reading “ANATOMY OF A FIGHT SCENE, PART 1”
CISCO PIKE (1971)
I’d never seen this one until I caught it the other night on Amazon Prime. As a story, not much happens beyond the obvious: Kris Kristofferson, playing an itinerant songwriter\musician, is blackmailed into selling a hundred keys of pot by Gene Hackman’s dirty cop. Karen Black is Kristofferson’s long-suffering girlfriend, essentially reprising her roles … Continue reading “CISCO PIKE (1971)”
REVERSING INTO THE FUTURE
We all take reflex viewing systems for granted these days, but there once was a time when they were considered an amazing innovation. This ad, from the June 1969 issue of American Cinematographer, offers a perspective that had me scratching my head. With the pictured Mitchell BNC already reflex-modified, why would anyone retrofit it … Continue reading “REVERSING INTO THE FUTURE”
THE PLASTIC FANTASTIC
Meet the Samcine Calculator, an amazing relic of the pre-digital age. Similar in concept to an engineer’s slide rule (which, BTW, I never learned how to use in high school!), it provided quick and accurate answers to a variety of questions filmmakers regularly encountered. Manufactured by Samuelson Film Services in London, it was an … Continue reading “THE PLASTIC FANTASTIC”
KALVAR, aka VESICULAR FILM
The movie business has always been filled with as many peculiarities as innovations, but here’s one that qualifies on both counts. Kalvar was the trade name given to a form of vesicular film, an emulsion that was sensitive only to ultraviolet light. While that doesn’t sound so strange on the surface, here’s the kicker … Continue reading “KALVAR, aka VESICULAR FILM”
BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY
A couple of weeks ago I expressed my admiration for an Eclair ad that appeared in the May 1969 issue of American Cinematographer. Judging from the one you’ll see below, the legendary French camera company must’ve been on quite the roll that spring. The next month they followed up with this brilliant example of … Continue reading “BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY”
SMASH, BANG, BOOM…!
The making of the epic western Duel in the Sun (1946) seems to have been a chaotic experience. Though King Vidor is credited as the sole director, Otto Brower, William Dieterle, Sidney Franklin, William Cameron Menzies, David O. Selznick and Josef Von Sternberg all made significant uncredited contributions. On the picture side, no fewer … Continue reading “SMASH, BANG, BOOM…!”