Category Archives: Directors

Mapping Raoul Walsh

Posted on September 8, 2010 by sheila

A fantastic piece on director Raoul Walsh by my friend Dan Callahan. I’ve seen many, but not all, of Walsh’s films (the man started in the silents), and Dan’s piece has made me eager to see more.

Posted in Directors | Tagged | 4 Comments

“I have to bear witness to anything that goes on in my country.” Jafar Panahi

Posted on September 7, 2010 by sheila

Article about Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s struggle now (and in the past) to make the movies he wants to make. His passport has still not been returned, so he was unable to go to the Venice Film Festival (despite high … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

They All Laughed: Peter Bogdanovich Talks to Wes Anderson

Posted on August 23, 2010 by sheila

This is a goldmine of greatness. A must-watch. Wonderful anecdotes. I love how Wes Anderson has clearly memorized the entire movie. It’s an in-depth conversation about a movie that I adore, and it has made me want to run out … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged | 3 Comments

Jafar Panahi: Venice Film Festival

Posted on August 12, 2010 by sheila

Some good news on the Jafar Panahi front. At first, word was that Panahi would definitely be attending the Venice Film Festival, but now that seems a bit more up in the air. It is not clear whether or not … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Hello, Darling: An Upcoming Feature Film By Director Shelagh Carter

Posted on July 26, 2010 by sheila

Shelagh Carter, a Canadian director and writer, is making her first feature film, Hello, Darling, which portrays a young girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness. Carter has been making successful short films for years (producer Polly Washburn … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged | Leave a comment

Meeting Elia Kazan

Posted on July 1, 2010 by sheila

I met Elia Kazan once. He showed up at a production at the Actors Studio that I was involved in. It was an Odets play- Awake and Sing – which Kazan had been involved in in its original incarnation, during … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

“Listen now, you corpses …” Filming A Bridge Too Far

Posted on June 25, 2010 by sheila

William Goldman, screenwriter, recounts in his book Adventures in the Screen Trade a funny crazy story of the filming of a crucial scene in Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far. They had permission to film on Nijmegen Bridge in Holland … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged | 15 Comments

“I was always a cartoonist in my mind. But then something happened.” An interview with director Ben Barnes:

Posted on June 22, 2010 by sheila

Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | 2 Comments

Anthony Mann’s New York

Posted on June 17, 2010 by sheila

On my way down to the Bloomsday celebration I was attending with Therese (and it was one for the books, more later) I found myself wandering the streets of the Financial District, an area of town I rarely go to, … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Jafar Panahi’s release: “A moral victory”

Posted on May 25, 2010 by sheila

Geoffrey Cheshire, expert in Iranian cinema, writes a great piece about the release of Jafar Panahi. It just so happens that Panahi’s imprisonment coincided with the Cannes Film Festival (although there may be more than coincidence at work here). If … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jafar Panahi to be released on bail

Posted on May 24, 2010 by sheila

The latest. I’m so happy to hear this. More here. Apparently he is going to be released today.

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“To put that scenario in its proper context, compare the regime’s blackout of Mr. Panahi’s films in Iran to the klieg-lit response of the outside film world:”

Posted on May 23, 2010 by sheila

An overview of the Jafar Panahi situation, a very nice opinion piece (and I’m not just saying that because the writer linked to me.)

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Binoche and Kiarostami

Posted on May 22, 2010 by sheila

Great interview from Cannes with Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami about his latest film, Certified Copy, starring, among others, Juliette Binoche. I loved this part: My next film is going to be a road movie too. In my film €Ten on … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

“Finally, I swear upon what I believe in, the cinema: I will not cease my hunger strike until my wishes are satisfied.” – Jafar Panahi

Posted on May 19, 2010 by sheila

Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was invited to be on the jury at Cannes, is obviously not present, due to his imprisonment. A chair has been left open for him at Cannes, a clear statement of solidarity and support of … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“He’s just too damned enjoyable.” – Quentin Tarantino on Howard Hawks

Posted on May 8, 2010 by sheila

Reading David Thomson’s really interesting and entertaining (and, at times, self-indulgent) book (rumination, really) about Hollywood, The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood. I say “self-indulgent” in a way that I mean it as a compliment. I find myself rolling … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Happy birthday, Orson Welles

Posted on May 6, 2010 by sheila

Much of the Welles story is difficult to put together because he himself was such a teller of tall tales. You know, he went to Morocco when he was 16 years old and the stories he told of his time … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors, On This Day | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Free Jafar Panahi

Posted on April 30, 2010 by sheila

News not looking good on the Jafar Panahi front. He was arrested on March 1, and has been in prison ever since. His wife has been quite vocal about his heart condition, and also that she has been denied access … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Werner Herzog interrupted

Posted on April 19, 2010 by sheila

Wow: A not-to-be-missed two-part recap from Jim Emerson of the recent Conference on World Affairs screening of Werner Herzog’s mad brilliant Aguirre, The Wrath of God. It was “Cinema Interruptus” – a screening where anyone in the audience could call … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged | 3 Comments

What the Radio Sees: Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love

Posted on April 11, 2010 by sheila

There were a couple of shots in Shutter Island (I am thinking of one in particular in Ben Kingsley’s office) that made me ache for directors who know what to do with the camera. It was so specific, so emotionally … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors, Movies | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Tim Burton at MoMA

Posted on March 23, 2010 by sheila

MoMA has a giant (and I mean giant) exhibit up right now devoted to the work of Tim Burton, and any time I’ve walked by there since the exhibit went up (especially on weekends) there is a line around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors | Tagged , , | 2 Comments