The Godfather Trilogy
Adapting Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel, Francis Ford Coppola drew up several themes lying dormant within its pages and augmented them in a uniquely cinematic fashion to create a masterful saga.
Tag Archives: Paramount Pictures
374. The Blue Angel
Few film songs come anywhere near the layered meanings of Falling in Love Again, sung by Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg’s The Blue Angel.
327. The Godfather
Regarded as the greatest gangster picture of them all, the passing years continue to reveal new layers and meanings in Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece.
287. Reds
As the US embraced Reaganomics and Hollywood found the formula for the modern blockbuster, Warren Beatty embarked on a project examining the origins of American communism.
230. Chinatown
Roman Polanski’s masterpiece is often called film noir. But lacking a dark look and a femme fatale, it’s not. It’s a very rare Hollywood breed; a true tragedy.
207. Jerry Maguire
“Show me the money.” “Shut up, you had me at hello.” For such a quotable film, Jerry Maguire’s most important line is “Fewer clients. Less money.”
168. Rear Window
He was called The Master of Suspense (a title he coined himself), but for all the thrills did Alfred Hitchcock not make rom-coms wrapped inside mysteries?
146. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
There have been four adaptations of Jack Finney’s novel. But what new angle could you bring to the classic sci-fi allegory?
American Trailers
This extended video-essay charts the development and possible future of the America movie trailer. Beginning in 1912, taking in the coming of television and suggesting where it might go in the age of the internet.
131. Titanic
Nature sank the luxury liner, but as his $200m production spiralled out of control it was James Cameron who proved himself to be unsinkable.
125. Out of Sight
Out of Sight is about second chances and it helped the three main players; Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez to relaunch their careers.
124. Frozen
Just how do Disney keep making such enormous hits? The elements of Frozen give away a very big clue: films for women about women supporting women.
118. Witness
Just how long does it take to write an Oscar-winning screenplay? In the case of Witness, it was 13 years. But how many drafts did it take and how many writers?
117. Good Will Hunting
Written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to launch their acting careers, the studio wanted Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
89. The Truman Show
The Truman Show may credit its story as an original screenplay, but it is uncannily similar to several sci-fi TV shows from as far back as the 60s.
85. The Untouchables
The studios didn’t like the script and no one wanted to play the heroic Treasury Agent, Eliot Ness. So how did The Untouchables turn out to be such a success?
71. The Summer Blockbuster
With young audiences off from school, Hollywood knows there is more money to be made in the summer than at any other time.
39. Sunset Blvd.
Sunset Blvd. tasted like very black coffee when it was released in 1950 and if anything, Billy Wilder’s classic tale has only darkened over the years.
31. Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity boasts some pedigree; Billy Wilder directing a script he co-wrote with Raymond Chandler that they adapted from a book by James M. Cain.
20. Rosemary’s Baby
Rosemary’s Baby was controversial before it was made. Inspired by a real-life Satanist, a sinister aura has hung around it ever since its release in 1968.
