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1959 Films
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with '' Ben-Hur'' winning a record 11 Academy Awards. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1959 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 23 – Republic Pictures releases its last production, ''Plunderers of Painted Flats''. *January 29 – Walt Disney's '' Sleeping Beauty'' premieres, their most expensive film to date and the first animated film to be shot in Super Technirama 70. It initially ends up losing money for the studio due to its high production costs. However, it would eventually gain a cult following and is now considered one of Disney's great classics. *April 30 – François Truffaut's '' The 400 Blows'' opens the 1959 Cannes Film Festival bringing international attention to the French New Wave. * June 4 – The Three Stooges release their 190th and last short film, '' Sappy Bull Fighters''. * June 7 – A contract between Paramount and Jerry Lewis Producti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben-Hur (1959 Film)
''Ben-Hur'' is a 1959 American religious epic film directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist, and starring Charlton Heston as the title character. A remake of the 1925 silent film with a similar title, it was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ''. The screenplay is credited to Karl Tunberg, but includes contributions from Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. ''Ben-Hur'' had the largest budget ($15.175 million), as well as the largest sets built, of any film produced at the time. Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators to make the costumes, and a workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed in the film. Filming commenced on May 18, 1958, and wrapped on January 7, 1959, with shooting lasting for 12 to 14 hours a day and six days a week. Pre-production began in Italy at Cinecittà around October 1957, and po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Nun's Story (film)
''The Nun's Story'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, and Peggy Ashcroft. The screenplay was written by Robert Anderson, based on the popular 1956 novel of the same name by Kathryn Hulme. The film tells the life of Sister Luke (Hepburn), a young woman who decides to enter a convent and make the many sacrifices required by her choice. The film is a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, which was based on the life of Belgian nun Marie Louise Habets. Latter portions of the film were shot on location in the Belgian Congo and feature Finch as a cynical but caring surgeon. The film was a financial success and was nominated for 8 Academy Awards. Plot Gabrielle "Gaby" Van Der Mal (Audrey Hepburn), whose father Hubert (Dean Jagger) is a prominent surgeon in Belgium, enters a convent of nursing sisters in the late 1920s, hoping to serve in the Belgian Congo. After receiving the religious name of Sister L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sappy Bull Fighters
''Sappy Bull Fighters'' is a 1959 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe Besser in his final starring role). It is the 190th and final entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians between 1934 and 1959. Plot The Stooges are vaudeville entertainers who trek to Mexico to perform their burlesque bullfight, with Joe as the brave matador, and Moe and Larry dressed in a bull costume. Unfortunately, their gig is canceled when they arrive. According to the trio, the manager fired them after they refused to do 10 additional shows for free. With no money to return home, the Stooges are stranded. Feeling bad for them, attractive señorita Greta (Greta Thyssen) gets the boys a gig at the local bull ring. However, when she leaves Greta mistakenly takes the trio's suitcase instead of hers. When they go retrieve it, however, Joe becomes attracted to Greta and begins to kiss her, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared over the act's run (with only three active at any given time): Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg) were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run and the pivotal "third stooge" was played by (in order of appearance) Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz), Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita. The act began in the early 1920s as part of a vaudeville comedy act billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges", consisting originally of Ted Healy and Moe Howard. Over time, they were joined by Moe's brother, Shemp Howard, and then Larry Fine. The four appeared in one feature film, '' Soup to Nuts'', before Shemp left to pursue a solo career. He was replace ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French New Wave
French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconoclasm. New Wave filmmakers explored new approaches to editing, visual style, and narrative, as well as engagement with the social and political upheavals of the era, often making use of irony or exploring existential themes. The New Wave is often considered one of the most influential movements in the history of cinema. The term was first used by a group of French film critics and cinephiles associated with the magazine ''Cahiers du cinéma'' in the late 1950s and 1960s. These critics rejected the ''Tradition de qualité'' ("Tradition of Quality") of mainstream French cinema, which emphasized craft over innovation and old works over experimentation. This was apparent in a manifesto-like 1954 essay by François Truffaut, ''Une certaine tenda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1959 Cannes Film Festival
The 12th Cannes Film Festival was held from 30 April to 15 May 1959. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Orfeu Negro'' by Marcel Camus. The festival opened with '' Les Quatre Cents Coups'', directed by François Truffaut and closed with ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', directed by George Stevens. In 1959, the Marché du Film (lit. Film Market) was established as the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival, with the aim of helping meet the needs of film industry professionals. Before this year the market was held unofficially in the cinemas of the rue d'Antibes in Cannes. Another important development of that year for the Festival, was that the French cinema moved away from the Ministry of Industry and became part of Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Jury The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1959 competition: Feature films *Marcel Achard (France) Jury President * Antoni Bohdziewicz (Poland) *Michael Cacoyannis (Greece) *Carlos Cuenca (Spain) *Pierre Daninos (France) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The 400 Blows
''The 400 Blows'' (french: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut. The film, shot in DyaliScope, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of the defining films of the French New Wave, it displays many of the characteristic traits of the movement. Written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy, the film is about Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood adolescent in Paris who struggles with his parents and teachers due to his rebellious behavior. Filmed on location in Paris and Honfleur, it is the first in a series of five films in which Léaud plays the semi-autobiographical character. ''The 400 Blows'' received numerous awards and nominations, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director, the OCIC Award, and a Palme d'Or nomination in 1959, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1960. The film had 4.1 million admissions in France, making it Tru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more than 25 years, he remains an icon of the French film industry, having worked on over 25 films. Truffaut's film ''The 400 Blows'' (1959) is a defining film of the French New Wave movement, and has four sequels, '' Antoine et Colette'' (1962), '' Stolen Kisses'' (1968), '' Bed and Board'' (1970), and '' Love on the Run'' (1979). Truffaut's 1973 film ''Day for Night'' earned him critical acclaim and several awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Film and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His other notable films include '' Shoot the Piano Player'' (1960), ''Jules and Jim'' (1962), ''The Soft Skin'' (1964), ''The Wild Child'' (1970), '' Two English Girls'' (1971), '' The Last Metro'' (1980), and ''The Woman Next Door'' (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Technirama 70
Super Technirama 70 was the marketing name for a special type of deluxe film exhibition that was most popular in the 1960s. It was the 70mm version of the Technirama exhibition format. Unlike Super Panavision 70 and Ultra Panavision 70, Super Technirama 70 films were not actually photographed on 65mm film stock, but rather a specialized 35mm film process that was then blown up to 70 mm prints for use on curved Cinerama-type screens. History and Description In the late 1950s, 70mm film exhibitions were very popular, due to the large screen size and thunderous soundtrack. In 1959, Walt Disney was interested in using a prestigious 70mm release of his film '' Sleeping Beauty'', and this was the first use of Super Technirama 70. The same year, the live action "Solomon and Sheba" was released with Super Technirama 70 prints. As the technique was still relatively new, the films only credited it as traditional Technirama, however the promotional materials heavily advertised the new t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sleeping Beauty (1959 Film)
''Sleeping Beauty'' is a 1959 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney based on the 1697 story "Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault. The 16th Disney animated feature film, it was released to theaters on January 29, 1959, by Buena Vista Distribution. It features the voices of Mary Costa, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Barbara Jo Allen, Bill Shirley, Taylor Holmes, and Bill Thompson. The film was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman, under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi. The film was written by Erdman Penner with additional story work by Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, and Milt Banta. The film's musical score and songs, featuring the work of the Graunke Symphony Orchestra under the direction of George Bruns, are arrangements or adaptations of numbers from the 1890 ''Sleeping Beauty'' ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. ''Sleeping Beauty'' was the first animated film to be p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plunderers Of Painted Flats
''Plunderers of Painted Flats'' is a 1959 American Western film shot in Naturama was directed by Albert C. Gannaway and written by John Greene and Phil Shuken. The film stars Corinne Calvet, John Carroll, Skip Homeier, George Macready, Edmund Lowe and Bea Benaderet. The film was released on January 23, 1959, by Republic Pictures and was the last film that they had produced and released. Plot Cast * Corinne Calvet as Kathy Martin * John Carroll as Clint Jones *Skip Homeier as Joe Martin *George Macready as Ed Sampson *Edmund Lowe as Ned East *Bea Benaderet as Ella Heather *Madge Kennedy as Mary East *Joe Besser as Andy Heather *Allan Lurie as Cass Becker *Candy Candido as Bartender *Herb Vigran as Mr. Perry *Burt Topper Burt Topper (July 31, 1928 – April 3, 2007) was an American film director and screenwriter best known for cult films aimed at teenagers. Biography Born in Coney Island, New York City, Topper moved to Los Angeles at the age of 8, and served in t ... as Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City and a movie ranch in Encino. It was best known for specializing in Westerns, serials, and B films emphasizing mystery and action. Republic was also notable for developing the careers of John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. It was also responsible for the financing and distribution of a few A films directed by John Ford during the 1940s and early 1950s and one Shakespeare film, ''Macbeth'' (1948), directed by Orson Welles. Under Herbert J. Yates, Republic was considered a mini-major film studio. Company history Created in 1935 by Herbert J. Yates, a longtime investor in film (having invested in 20th Century Pictures at its founding in 1933) and owner of the film processing laboratory Consolidated Film Industries, Republic was ini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
