GlennFord Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Shocked By Sean Connery! ...and Other Retro Upsets
Filed under: Classics », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom »
I constantly worry that I'm becoming desensitized to violence and horror thanks to watching so many damn movies, and having a penchant for those that are riddled with explosions and coarse language. (If Scott Weinberg has his way, I will have a healthy appreciation for the slasher flick as well. Speaking of which, have you read Horror Virgin yet?) As a kid, I was always sternly brought up to know that movies were fiction, and that violence was very real, and to know that guns, knives, grenades, etc. were no cheering or laughing matter unless Mel Gibson was using or running away from them.
Like much of the civilized world, I've been following the protests in Iran, and while I empathized with what was going on, I felt curiously detached from seeing images of real violence. I read comments from people who said they were shaking and vomiting from seeing people die on camera, and I wondered if I was a terrible person because I wasn't. Is it because I watch so much of it onscreen? Or am I saturated by it thanks to the real world -- I watched Columbine happen on television while living a few blocks away from it, to say nothing of the trauma of 9/11, and documentaries about Darfur and the Holocaust.
Like much of the civilized world, I've been following the protests in Iran, and while I empathized with what was going on, I felt curiously detached from seeing images of real violence. I read comments from people who said they were shaking and vomiting from seeing people die on camera, and I wondered if I was a terrible person because I wasn't. Is it because I watch so much of it onscreen? Or am I saturated by it thanks to the real world -- I watched Columbine happen on television while living a few blocks away from it, to say nothing of the trauma of 9/11, and documentaries about Darfur and the Holocaust.
RIP: Reel Important People -- September 4, 2006
Filed under: Obits »
Ed Benedict (c.1912-2006) - Animator and designer who started out at Walt Disney in 1930, went on to Universal and MGM, and eventually worked for Hanna-Barbera, creating the designs for Ruff and Reddy, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and The Flintstones. In an RIP twist this week, Benedict had worked as a layout artist on the Droopy Dog short Blackboard Jumble, which spoofed Blackboard Jungle, a film starring Glenn Ford.- Claude Blanchard (1932-2006) - Canadian actor who appeared in Jésus de Montréal, Gina and Rafales. He died of a heart attack on August 20th.
- Alexander Buzo (1944-2006) - Australian playwright and humorist who was uncredited for his rewrite work for Ned Kelly (the one with Mick Jagger). He died on August 16th.
- Marion Cajori (c.1950-2006) - Filmmaker who made documentaries about artists. Her most well-known is Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter. She died of cancer on August 8th, in New York.
- Jude Carabba (c.1959-2006) - Actress who appeared in a bit part in Casino and some TV shows. She was stabbed to death by her boyfriend Wednesday, in Staten Island, New York.
- Nellie Connally (1919-2006) - Wife of former Texas Governor John Connally and passenger in JFK's limo the day the President was assassinated. She can be seen in the famous Zapruder film and a number of documentaries that include footage from that home movie. She died in her sleep on Friday, in Austin, Texas.
- Jon Dough (c.1963-2006) - Adult film star who appeared in over 1000 titles -- including The World's Luckiest Man, in which he has sex with 101 women -- since his debut in 1985 and directed over 70. He took his own life on August 27th, in Chatsworth, California.
RIP: Glenn Ford
Filed under: Classics », Newsstand », Obits »
Over the course of his 50 year career, Glenn Ford -- best known to modern audiences as Jonathan Kent in 1978's Superman -- appeared in nearly 100 films, most of them in the 1950s and 60s, during which he was almost ubiquitous in Hollywood. A big post-war box office draw, Ford was also deceptively talented, turning in equally solid, very different performances in films as wide-ranging as 3:10 to Yuma, Gilda, and Fritz Lang's The Big Heat. His work in Yuma, in particular, is a fitting legacy for Ford: He often appeared in westerns, but was rarely asked to display the terrifying charisma he employs in that film as Ben Wade, an outlaw who spends 90% of the film simply waiting for a train. It's a brilliant, nuanced performance from a man whose roles didn't always allow him so much room to work.In addition to a Hollywood mainstay, Ford was also a military man, serving three years during World War II (his first film after the war was Gilda -- not bad for a guy who just returned from combat) and returning to the U.S. Naval Reserve during the Viet Nam War.
Ford was found dead in his home yesterday afternoon; he was 90 years old.
3:10 to Yuma: Cash and a Caped Crusader
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers », Casting », Newsstand », Tom Cruise », Remakes and Sequels »
It's amazing how much attention a Hollywood remake of a little western can get from the trades -- but I guess that happens when names like Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe are associated with the film. As we've told you in our periodic updates on James Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma remake, the news that Cruise wasn't making the film broke at the same time that a)Crowe supplanted him as the movie's baddie, Ben Wade, and b)Sony dropped the movie, apparently due to major concerns about its ability to make a profit.Even thought the film didn't actually have either a home or financing, however, casting evidently continued. Kim reported way back in February that the Incredible Hulk himself, Eric Bana, was interested in playing the good guy -- rancher Dan Evans -- to Cruise's/Crowe's Wade (played with frightening charm by Glenn Ford in the original). Just as with Cruise, though, the early reports proved wrong, and it was revealed today that Christian Bale is seconds from signing on to play Evans. Hmm. While I'm still pissed about the remake in general, and would much rather see Bale play Wade, at least he's a good actor. That's something, I guess.
In other Yuma news, the movie looks to have secured financing through Relativity Media, but is still in search of a distributor.
Mangold to remake 3:10 to Yuma, damn him.
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
3:10
to Yuma is a fantastically tight little western about honor and duty, starring Van Heflin and a frighteningly charismatic Glenn Ford. It's a perfect example of the the great things that can be
done in film when you've got about $6, 90 minutes, a solid story (written by Elmore Leonard), and a pair of great actors. But, because Hollywood a)
is out of ideas, and b) can't leave well enough alone, James Mangold
has decided to follow up Walk the Line
by remaking a movie that's been pretty much perfect for almost 50 years. Oh, and he's going to kick it up a notch,
don't you worry. Apparently, you see, "There are a lot of good-bad themes that were only touched on in the
original...This is a total struggle culminating in a showdown, which has the potential to be one of the great movie
gunfights." So, let me get this straight: a movie that's all about acting, honor, and subtly is going to be turned
into a huge shootout? Fan-freaking-tastic.Mangold and his wife Cathy Konrad will also produce the film, which is expected to begin shooting this summer.
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