|
Samuel Bronston Productions
Samuel Bronston Productions was an independent American film production company, founded by Samuel Bronston in 1943. The company produced several epic films, the most notable of which are, ''John Paul Jones'' (1959), ''King of Kings'' (1961), ''El Cid'' (1961), ''55 Days at Peking'' (1963) and ''The Fall of the Roman Empire'' (1964). The films were made in Spain in the company's newly created studios in Las Rozas, near Madrid. Due to financial difficulties, the company ceased its business activities in 1964. During the ensuing bankruptcy proceedings, Bronston's answer that the company had once had a bank account in Zurich in response to a question under oath about whether he personally had had a Swiss bank account led to his prosecution for perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samuel Bronston
Samuel Bronston (March 26, 1908 – January 12, 1994) was a Bessarabian-born American film producer, film director, and a nephew of socialist revolutionary figure, Leon Trotsky. He was also the petitioner in a U.S. Supreme Court case that set a major precedent for perjury prosecutions when it overturned his conviction. Biography Bronston was born in Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russian Empire (present day Moldova) and educated at the Sorbonne. He worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's French unit in Paris before setting up as an independent film producer by the 1940s. Early films Bronston produced two films for Columbia Pictures '' The Adventures of Martin Eden'' (1942) and '' City Without Men'' (1943). His first film for his new production company, Samuel Bronston Productions, was ''Jack London'', (1943) for United Artists followed by '' City Without Men'' (1943). He was to produce '' A Walk in the Sun'', but when United Artists ceased funding of the film so as not to compete with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack London (film)
''Jack London'', also known as ''The Story of Jack London'', is a 1943 American biographical film made by Samuel Bronston Productions and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Alfred Santell and produced by Samuel Bronston with Joseph H. Nadel as associate producer, from a screenplay by Isaac Don Levine and Ernest Pascal based on the 1921 book ''The Book of Jack London'' by London's second wife, Charmian London. The film starred Michael O'Shea as Jack London and Susan Hayward with Osa Massen, Harry Davenport, Frank Craven and Virginia Mayo. Plot The film follows scenes from the life of the writer-adventurer Jack London ( Michael O'Shea, who somewhat resembled London) who was, among other things, oyster pirate, hobo, sailor, prospector and war correspondent. The film begins and ends with footage from 1943 of the launch of the liberty ship Jack London. In Oakland in 1890, after an accident involving a female colleague at the factory where he works, the young London ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor best known for the 1955 film '' Rebel Without a Cause.'' He is appreciated for many narrative features produced between 1947 and 1963 including ''They Live By Night'', ''In A Lonely Place'', '' Johnny Guitar'', and ''Bigger Than Life'', as well as an experimental work produced throughout the 1970s titled ''We Can't Go Home Again'', which was unfinished at the time of Ray's death. Ray's compositions within the CinemaScope frame and use of color are particularly well-regarded and he was an important influence on the French New Wave, with Jean-Luc Godard famously writing in a review of ''Bitter Victory'', "... there is cinema. And the cinema is Nicholas Ray."Godard, Jean-Luc (1958). "Au-dela des étoiles," ''Cahiers du cinéma'' 79 (January); translated as "Jean-Luc Godard: Beyond the Stars," in ''Cahiers du CInéma: The 1950s. Neo-realism, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 and based in Beverly Hills, California. MGM was formed by Marcus Loew by combining Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one company. It hired a number of well known actors as contract players—its slogan was "more stars than there are in heaven"—and soon became Hollywood's most prestigious film studio, producing popular musical films and winning many Academy Awards. MGM also owned film studios, movie lots, movie theaters and technical production facilities. Its most prosperous era, from 1926 to 1959, was bracketed by two productions of '' Ben Hur''. After that, it divested itself of the Loews movie theater chain, and, in the 1960s, diversified into television production. In 1969, Kirk Kerkorian bought 4 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Technirama
__NOTOC__ Technirama is a screen process that has been used by some film production houses as an alternative to CinemaScope. It was first used in 1957 but fell into disuse in the mid-1960s. The process was invented by Technicolor and is an anamorphic process with a screen ratio the same as revised CinemaScope (2.35:1) (which became the standard), but it is actually 2.25:1 on the negative.https://www.widescreen.org/aspect_ratios.shtml Technical The Technirama process used a film frame area twice as large as CinemaScope. This gave the former a sharper image with less photographic grain. Cameras used 35-mm film running horizontally with an 8-perforation frame, double the normal size, exactly the same as VistaVision. VistaVision cameras were sometimes adapted. Technirama used 1.5:1 anamorphic curved mirror optics in front of the camera lens (unlike CinemaScope's cylindrical lenses which squeezed the image in a 1:2 ratio). In the laboratory, the 8-perforation horizontal negative would ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marisa Pavan
Marisa Pavan (born Maria Luisa Pierangeli; 19 June 1932) is an Italian actress who first became known as the twin sister of film star Pier Angeli (Anna Maria Pierangeli) before achieving success in her own screen career. Early life and career Pavan and her twin sister, Pier Angeli, were born in 1932 in Cagliari, Sardinia, the children of Enrichetta (née Romiti) and Luigi Pierangeli, a construction engineer. The two girls also had a younger sister, Patrizia Pierangeli, who became an actress as well. Pavan had no dramatic training when she signed a Hollywood contract with Paramount at age 19. Although her screen debut was in 1952 in '' What Price Glory'', Pavan's breakthrough role came three years later, when she was cast as Anna Magnani's daughter in '' The Rose Tattoo''. That part was initially assigned to her twin sister, but by the time production began, Angeli was unavailable for the role. Pavan's performance earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Stack
Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC television series ''The Untouchables'' (1959–1963), for which he won the 1960 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series, and later hosted/narrated the true-crime series ''Unsolved Mysteries'' (1987–2002). He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film ''Written on the Wind'' (1956). Later in his career, Stack was known for his deadpan comedy roles that lampooned his dramatic on-screen persona, most notably as Capt. Rex Kramer in ''Airplane!'' (1980). Early life He was born Charles Langford Modini Stack in Los Angeles, California, but his first name, selected by his mother, was changed to Robert by his father. He spent his early childhood in Adria and Rome, be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Farrow
John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Wake Island'', and in 1957 he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Around the World in Eighty Days''. He had seven children by his wife, actress Maureen O'Sullivan, including actress Mia Farrow. Early life Farrow was born in Sydney, Australia, the son of Lucy Villiers (née Savage; 1881–1907), a dressmaker, and Joseph Farrow (1880–1925), a tailor's trimmer. His mother died when he was born.Unpublished letter dated Oct 3, 1939 His parents were both of English descent. Farrow was educated at Newtown Public School and Fort Street Boys' High School and then started a career in accountancy. He claimed to have run away to sea in an American barquentine, sailed "all over the Pacific," and fought in revo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, the company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation, television, and video games and is one of the "Big Five" major American film studios, as well as a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). The company is known for its film studio division the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, the Warner Animation Group, Castle Rock Entertainment, and DC Studios. Among its other assets, stands the television production company Warner Bros. Television Studios. Bugs Bunny, a cartoon character created by Tex Avery, Ben Hardaway, Chuck Jones, Bob Givens and Robe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred Rich
Frederic Efrem Rich (January 31, 1898 – September 8, 1956) was a Polish-born American bandleader and composer who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s. Among the musicians in his band were the Dorsey Brothers, Joe Venuti, Bunny Berigan, and Benny Goodman. In the early 1930s, Elmer Feldkamp was one of his vocalists. Early life Rich was born in Warsaw, Poland. He settled with his parents in New York City and showed an early proficiency for music. He studied at the Damrosch Conservatory of Music and led an orchestra at the Hotel Astor. Career Rich was a pianist and formed his band in the early-1920s. His theme songs were " I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "So Beats My Heart for You." Between 1925 and 1928, he toured Europe. He enjoyed a long stay at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. He began leading a studio band and recorded for Okeh, Columbia, Paramount, Camden, and Vocalion, often under the names Fred Richards, the Astorites, and the Hotel Astor Band. Rich and his ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academy Award For Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. Some pre-existing music is allowed, though, but a contending film must include a minimum of original music. This minimum since 2021 is established in 35% of the music, which is raised to 80% for sequels and franchise films. Fifteen scores are shortlisted before nominations are announced. History The Academy began awarding movies for their scores in 1935. The category was originally called Best Scoring. At the time, winners and nominees were a mix of original scores and adaptations of pre-existing material. Following the controversial win of Charles Previn for '' One Hundred Men and a Girl'' in 1938, a film without a credited composer that featured pre-existing classical music, the Academy added a Best Original Sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency, Hayward traveled to Hollywood in 1937 to audition for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. She secured a film contract and played several small supporting roles over the next few years. By the late 1940s, the quality of her film roles improved, and she achieved recognition for her dramatic abilities with the first of five Academy Award for Best Actress nominations for her performance as an alcoholic in ''Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman'' (1947). Hayward's success continued through the 1950s as she received nominations for '' My Foolish Heart'' (1949), '' With a Song in My Heart'' (1952), and '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955), winning the Academy Award for her portrayal of death row inmate Barbara Graham in '' I Want to Live!'' (1958). For her p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
